Hidden Feelings
by Bob Bandicoot
Summary: Gray always considered Lucy to be one of his closest friends. But what happens when he starts to realize that his feelings begin to develop into something more? Fluffy, Gray/Lucy and Loke/Erza pairings.
1. Shopping in Magnolia

**Author's note: New story everyone! This is my first romance story so go easy on your views, okay? This will probably be more than two chapters but I don't plan on doing it too big. I'll see how it turns out. Anyway, I hope you like it. I do not own Fairy Tail.  
**

******HIDDEN FEELINGS**

**CHAPTER 1**

It was a warm, sunny day in the city of Magnolia. The streets were filled with people who were taking their walk, doing their daily shopping or were just enjoying the nice day at the local cafes. A blond, teenage girl was hopping care freely on the ledge next to the long river, followed by a small, strange, white creature with a long pointy nose that was moving in a clumsy way.

"Lucy-chan! That's dangerous! Be careful not to fall!" the old boatmen from the gondolas on the river said kindly to the girl.

"Yes, I will! Thank you!" the blond girl responded. Lucy Heartfilia was taking her walk in a similar fashion almost every day while making her way to the mage's guild of Magnolia, the guild that she wanted to join ever since she was little, Fairy Tail. The past months had been exciting and adventurous, to say the least. Lucy had been through some quite hard and dangerous situations, including dangerous missions, fighting with dark guilds, both legal and illegal, and fighting with crazy guild members or even travelling to other worlds. However, during those months Lucy met some rather unusual people who would soon turn out to be not only dear friends, but almost as close as family. Especially her teammates. Natsu Dragneel and Happy, the Fire Dragon Slayer and the winged blue cat who were the first people that she met and they were the ones that brought her to Fairy Tail. Though they might seem immature and almost childish on some occasions, they were both strong and passionate and they had saved her more times than she could think of. Erza Scarlet, the S-class Requip mage who Lucy admired and looked up to from the day she met her. Although she had a tough exterior and sometimes seem cold and strict, Lucy new that she was very kind, gentle and caring and put her friends above all. In addition to all this, Lucy also admired her for her amazing beauty. Gary Fullbuster, the Ice mage, one of the first people that drew her attention when she first joined Fairy Tail. Perhaps the first impression wasn't the best, maybe because he asked her for her underwear while being butt naked, but Gray proved to be just as strong and passionate as Natsu, always fighting to his limits in order to protect his friends. And of course, Lucy couldn't forget about Wendy and Charle, the newest additions to the guild, the little Sky Dragon Slayer and her winged, white cat. Even thought she was shy and just kid, Wendy's heart had the size of a dragon. Lucy didn't think she had ever met a more kind and pure-hearted person before. Charle might also seem cold and haughty sometimes but in reality she had a much softer side and she cared deeply for Wendy and the rest of the guild and especially, even though she didn't always admit it, Happy. The blond girl kept thinking about her teammates , as well as the rest of her fellow guild members, with a big smile until she finally reached her destination and eagerly got inside of the large building. The guild was as rowdy and as lively as ever. Lucy greeted everyone as she walked inside the guild and made her way towards the bar where a white haired girl and a brown haired girl were chatting.

"Good morning Mira-san! Good morning Cana!" she greeted happily.

"Good morning Lucy!" the white haired girl greeted with a big smile.

"Morning Lucy!" the brunette said smiling as well.

"Hey Cana, I don't want to sound rude or anything, but it's 10 in the morning! Don't tell me you started drinking from that early!" Lucy said after noticing a rather large cup in her friend's hand.

"Come on Lucy, do you really think I'm this bad?" Cana said lightly. "This is just coffee!"

"Then why are you adding whiskey in it?" Lucy asked emphatically, pointing at a bottle that was next to the cup.

"Oh this? You know, to add a little more kick to it" Cana said simply as she poured some of the drink to her coffee.

"Don't look so surprised Lucy! I believe it's called Irish Coffee or something" Mirajane said. "Although, I think that Cana added a little more whiskey than she should" she added with a wink. Cana shrugged.

"The more the better" she said as she took a sip from her coffee.

"I see" Lucy said with a deadpawn look. "By the way, have you guys seen Natsu or Erza anywhere?" she asked as she scanned around looking for her teammates. Gray was the only one that she spotted.

"Natsu and Happy took a walk to the forest with Lisanna. I think they went fishing. They will probably spend the entire day there" Mirajane said.

"Really?" Lucy said. "Natsu has been spending more time with Lisanna lately. I can't blame him though" Lucy thought with a smile as she remembered Natsu and Happy's joyful reactions when Lisanna, who everyone thought she was gone, came back with them from Edolas.

"Are you okay Lucy? Is something wrong?" Cana asked a little concerned.

"No, everything is fine! Really!" Lucy answered honestly but a little hasty. "I mean it, I'm really happy that Lisanna is back Mira-san!" she said to the white haired girl.

"I know Lucy. Thank you" Mirajane said softly.

"Anyway, Erza is not around either. She went to the city with Master for a meeting with some other guild masters" Cana said as she took another sip from her drink.

"I see. It looks like I got nothing to do the entire day. Even Levy-chan has gone on a job with Jet and Droy" Lucy said as she fell head first on the counter.

"Now, now, don't get so depressed Lucy" Mirajane said smiling holding up her hands to calm her.

"Well it's not my fault! Hey Cana, want to go shopping or something?" Lucy asked the brown haired girl next to her.

"Nah, I don't feel like it. Maybe later" Cana said lazily. "Hey Mira, may I have some more coffee?" she asked moving her empty cup.

"Gee, thanks Cana! I can always count on you!" Lucy said sarcastically.

"Anytime" Cana said lightly as she added some more drink to her newly filled cup of coffee and took another sip. Lucy groaned and fell head first again on the counter.

"Good morning everyone!" a cheerful, sweet voice was heard next to them. The three girls turned around to see a pretty, young girl with long, straight, blue hair and wearing a colourful dress behind them, and a small, white cat standing next to her.

"Good morning Wendy! Good morning Charle!" Mirajane greeted.

"Good morning Wendy! Did you have a good night's sleep?" Cana asked.

"Yeah, thanks" the dark haired girl answered with a yawn. "Hey Cana-san, what are you having there?" she asked curiously.

"Just some coffee. Do you want some?" Cana said.

"Um, sure. Thanks!" Wendy said and reached for the cup.

"No way! This is not for little girls! What are you thinking Cana?!" Lucy said shocked.

"Yeah, you are probably right. Sorry" Cana said after looking at her cup and rethinking her proposal.

"Wendy, you know you're too young to have coffee. What are you thinking?" the white cat said disapprovingly with her thin voice.

"There's more than just coffee there" Lucy mumbled.

"Sorry Charle" Wendy said embarrassed rubbing the back of her head.

"It's okay now. Here Wendy, want some juice?" Mirajane said holding a glass and a carton of juice.

"Yeah, thanks a lot!" Wendy said as she took a seat next to them.

"Honestly, you're such a handful sometimes" Charle said still annoyed.

"Come on now, don't scold her. Hey Wendy, wanna go shopping later?" Lucy said getting her hopes up.

"Sorry Lucy-san, but I've promised Mirajane-san to help her today" Wendy said a little embarrassed. "Maybe some other day?" she asked with a small smile.

"Not you too Wendy!" Lucy said dramatically, falling on the counter once again.

"Easy now. I think the counter is beginning to crack" Cana chuckled. Lucy mumbled something incomprehensible.

"I know! Why don't you help me too Lucy? You can go shop a couple of things that we need! Here, I made a list. What do you say?" Mirajane asked smiling widely.

"Sure, anything for you Mira-san but, I think these are a lot of things" Lucy said after peaking at the list. "How am I supposed to carry all this stuff?"

"Don't worry about it, you can ask someone else to help you out, like Gray for example!" Mirajane said enthusiastically for some reason. "Gray! Can you please come over here for a moment?" she called the ice mage. The dark haired mage who was chatting with two of the older members of the guild, the fire mage Macao and the smoke mage Wakaba, turned towards the white haired girl with a wondering look and walked slowly towards them.

"Gray, your clothes" Cana said lazily once he got near them.

"What? Oh come on now!" the dark haired mage groaned as he realized that he was, once again, only in his underwear.

"Couldn't you be a little more like your Edolas self?" Charle said.

"Charle! That wasn't very nice!" Wendy scolded her.

"Hm!" Charle puffed. Lucy sighed and Mirajane laughed.

"Anyway, is that why you called me? Telling me when I'm around is one thing but now you're calling me out for this? There, are you happy now?" Gray said annoyed after he quickly put on some clothes.

"Well you'll need your clothes to go out. I asked Lucy to do some shopping for me. Will you accompany her?" Mirajane said without losing her smile.

"Eh? Sure but, couldn't she ask me herself? Since when you need a middleman to talk to me Lucy? Have you grown shy or something?" Gray asked the blond girl grinning.

"Yeah sure! She just called you out before I could even answer!" Lucy puffed in a similar way with Charle. "Anyway, bring the list Mira-san, we'll get everything you need" she said as she took the list. "See you later guys. Gray are you coming?" the blond girl asked.

"You lead" Gray said boringly and followed her to the exit.

"Lucy was right, she could ask Gray herself. What are you up to Mira?" Cana asked with a sly smile.

"Me? Nothing! I just asked them to buy some stuff for the guild" Mirajane said innocently as she started wiping a cup.

"Sure. That's what you did" Cana said as she took another sip. Mirajane smiled.

* * *

"So what's first on the list?" Gray asked while walking with his hands in his pockets. Lucy looked at the list and sweatdropped.

"We need to get some new furniture" she said.

"New furniture?"

"Yes. It says here that we need some new tables and chairs"

"Oh well, it's not the first time that this happens. I guess we do break a lot of this stuff. It's fine."

"It's not fine at all! And how are we going to carry all this stuff?"

"We'll just go and make our buy and they will deliver it to the guild. I told, we've done this before. It's not that hard"

"Fine, let's just go" Lucy sighed. The two of them walked to the furniture store and made their buy. By the time they left the owner, a tall middle aged man with a thick brown mustache, some hair on the sides of his head and a large brown beret on top of his bald head and a pencil above his ear, looked extremely pleased.

"We just gave this guy a full job for the next two weeks" Lucy said with her head down.

"I admit this was a little more than usual. Maybe we should consider cutting down a little bit on our rumbles" Gray sighed. "Anyway, what's next?"

"Provisions mostly" Lucy said after scanning her list. "Some food, a lot of food actually, some booze, mostly for Cana I suppose, and some other stuff like smoke for master and Wakaba, some books for Levy-chan, some ribbons and other stuff for Lisanna's welcome party, about a dozen of cakes for Erza and some weights for Elfman" she finished.

"I have the feeling that Mirajane is making us do everyone's shopping along with the guild's stuff" Gray said grumpily.

"I guess. Well, I suppose we have no choice since we already accepted. Let's just finish this quickly and get back to the guild" Lucy sighed. A couple of hours later they were finally done. The two mages sat down on a nearby bench, trying to catch their breath.

"That took longer than I thought. Is there anything else we need?" Gray asked.

"No, I think we're done. No we just need to get a small break and then get back to the guild. That's not the kind of shopping that I had in mind" Lucy panted. As they were sitting on the bench Lucy noticed one of her favourite clothes store. "Now this is more like it. Hey Gray, can we please go take a look at that clothes store before we get back to the guild?" she asked.

"Ow come on Lucy, we have more than enough stuff with us. Can't you come back later?" Gray groaned.

"Ah come on Gray, we've been going around all this time buying stuff for everyone else. Is it so bad if I take a couple of things for myself?" Lucy whined. "Pretty, pretty please?" she asked with puppy eyes.

"Well" Gray stammered taken aback by Lucy's expression. "I guess it wouldn't hurt if we just took a look" he said.

"Woo hoo! Let's go then!" Lucy exclaimed as she jumped off the bench fully energized.

"Weren't you tired just a minute ago?" Gray mumbled. The two of them walked inside the store, Lucy beaming with happiness and Gray pouting a little.

"Good morning my dears! How can I help you?" the shop owner asked them. She had curly brown hair and she was a little chubby. She was wearing a long, pink dress, golden bracelets and rings on her wrists and fingers and red lipstick and she had a big, warm smile on her face.

"Good morning madam! We are here to buy some clothes!" Lucy said cheerfully.

"Oh Lucy darling, of course! I guess the clothes are for your friend here, right? He seems to be lacking them" the shop owner said kindly.

"What? What are you talking about?" Lucy said puzzled as she turned towards Gray. Her wonder soon turned to shock. "Gray your clothes! We are inside a shop for crying out loud!" she yelled.

"What? Ow damn it, not again!" Gray said as he realized that he, somehow, lost his clothes again.

"Oh my!" the shop owner said without losing her smile as Gray quickly put on his clothes.

"Sorry about that! Anyway, can we have a look around?" Lucy asked with a nervous smile.

"Of course my dear! And I have a couple of pieces that would look great on you!" the woman said as she browsed through some dresses. "Here how about this?" she asked as she picked a light blue spring dress.

"It's so pretty!" Lucy said with sparkling eyes. "Gray what do you think?"

"I don't know… Why don't you try it on?" Gray said a little uncomfortably, rubbing the back of his head.

"I will! Tell me what you think!" Lucy said excited as she got in the dressing room. Gray sighed and sat on a chair, waiting for Lucy to get ready.

"She's a really sweet girl, isn't she?" the shop owner said.

"Yeah she is" Gray said with a small smile. It wasn't long before Lucy was ready.

"So, how do I look?" she asked making a little spin.

"Wow!" was the only thing that Gray managed to say. Lucy looked just amazing in her new dress. It seemed to fit her perfectly as it elegantly highlighted her curvaceous body, it reached all the way a little above her knees showing off her pretty legs and the colour of the dress seemed to really go with her blue ribbon.

"Oh darling, you look great!" the shop owner said.

"Yeah, you look… really good!" Gray stammered.

"Really? Thanks Gray!" Lucy said with a big smile and a slight blush.

"Don't mention it" Gray said slightly blushing as well and looking the other way.

"Do you have anything else madam?" Lucy asked with excitement.

"Of course dear, here" the woman said as she passed another dress. Over the next hour Lucy tried a number of clothes including a pink dress that tied behind her neck leaving her shoulders bare, a pair of jeans with a matching red tank top, a black evening gown dress with a rip on the side that left her right leg revealed and lastly a yellow spring dress with a big bow on her back, making Gray's eyes widen each time he saw her. Gray always thought Lucy to be cute, even attractive, but now that he had seen her wear all these outfits and noticed the sparkle in her eyes, his heart started beating in a different way. He always considered her a close friend, that's what he thought. But was there something more that he hadn't noticed before?

"Here, that would be all!" Lucy said as she put the clothes that she picked on the cashier's desk.

"Oh my, it seems that you went overboard again this time Lucy!" the shop owner said.

"Heh, heh! I really did, didn't I?" Lucy said with a slightly embarrassed smile as she rubbed the back of her head.

"Don't worry dear, I'll give you a special discount. Here" the shop owner said.

"Thank you very much!" Lucy said smiling but her expression changed when she saw the receipt. "Ow shoot, it's that much? I don't have this kind of money with me right now" she said with a sad tone.

"Don't worry dear, you can buy what you can now and I'll hold the rest for you until the next time" the woman said kindly.

"I guess. Sorry for the trouble" Lucy said a little embarrassed.

"It's okay. It makes sense for a girl at your age to get excited. That's part of being young" the woman said softly. Lucy nodded with a small smile but Gray noticed her sad expression. For some reason his heart sank to his chest when he noticed that. What was wrong with him?

"Lady you don't need to keep anything. Here Lucy, let me buy something for you" the dark haired mage suddenly said.

"What?! No, that won't be necessary! I mean thank you but really, I can just buy them later! You don't have to do this!" Lucy said surprised moving her hands quickly.

"It's fine, it's no big deal! I just want to make a gift to my teammate. Here, I'll take this one" Gray said as he picked the blue dress. "There you go Lucy! I hope you like my gift!" he said with a big grin.

"I… Thanks Gray" Lucy stammered with a deep blush and looked down. "That's very kind of you" she mumbled.

"What a nice gesture! You really know how to treat girls young man! You have a wonderful friend there Lucy" the shop owner said. Lucy just nodded still blushing while Gray rubbed the back of his head smiling a little awkwardly. They paid for the clothes, greeted the kind woman and got out of the store. They took the rest of the stuff and made their way back to the guild. It was already noon. They walked swiftly despite the number of the things they were carrying without talking to each other, the silence between them wasn't uncomfortable though. Gray turned his head slightly towards Lucy and noticed that she was still smiling. This made him feel much better. He felt a warmth inside him that he didn't remember feeling before. Soon they reached the guild.

"So" Gray started.

"Yes" Lucy said as she turned to face him. Gray stared into her pretty, brown eyes and felt like his face was on fire. He tried to avoid eye contact and looked towards the ground.

"So I'm thinking about taking a walk to the city. There are… a couple of things that I need to take care of. You don't mind, do you? I mean, with all this stuff, if you need some help?" he said stammering a little.

"Nah, that's fine. We're at the guild so I can just ask for help from the others. If you have some things to do, then go" Lucy said softly.

"Ok good. I'll just pass by later if you're still around" Gray said.

"I will be" Lucy said.

"Okay see you later then, Lucy!" Gray said and turned away.

"Right. And Gray, thanks for the gift" Lucy said with a sweet smile. Gray couldn't help but smile back.

"Don't mention it. It looked great on you anyway Lucy!" he said with a big smile and walked away, while Lucy turned slowly and walked towards the large building.

**Author's note: ****Well, there goes the first chapter. I'm a little anxious about this one since I haven't tried writing a romance fic before so I would really appreciate your views and your thoughts on this one. Also I'll have a poll running considering my other crossover story, so you can check it out and let me know what you think if you want to. Until next time, take care everyone!**


	2. A special mission

**Author's note: New chapter everyone! Enjoy! I do not own Fairy Tail.  
**

**HIDDEN FEELINGS**

**CHAPTER 2**

Gray was walking casually in the broad streets of Magnolia. It was already noon, the sun was shining even brighter and the streets were half emptied since most of the people preferred to spend the noon in the coolness of their houses. Gray didn't mind thought. His thoughts traveled, not very far, to what had happened at that same morning. Lucy and Gray had gone shopping for the guild and then when they were done, they stopped by a clothes store because Lucy wanted to try some new clothes. Nothing unusual so far. The strange part came after this. Gray couldn't figure out what these feelings were. Lucy was one of his closest friends, one of his teammates. They hang out almost daily, they've been in several missions together and he had seen her in all kinds of outfits all this time. What was different this time? The truth is that Gray always had some interest in her. Gray continued his thoughts barely paying attention to where he was going. He liked her? That wasn't so hard anyway. Lucy was beautiful, caring, gentle, courageous and she had shown on more than one occasions that she was willing to do anything to protect her friends, the people that she cared about. What's not to like? Gray remembered the warm feeling he felt when he gave Lucy that present. He remembered her sweet smile, the sparkle in her eyes. He remembered the look that she gave him before he left the guild. The dark haired mage stopped walking and turned towards the guild. He still felt confused, but he was sure about one thing. Those feelings that he was having weren't new. They were just hidden somewhere deep inside him and they finally came to surface. "I guess things might become a little more clear if I go and talk to her. Even thought I am not actually sure what to say" he though. "Maybe, I'll think of something on the way there" he continued as he started walking back to the guild. Suddenly, another though came to him. Perhaps he was having some feelings for Lucy but someone else probably had feelings for him. A particular water mage with wavy blue hair who preferred to walk around in a heavy blue coat. Gray had a suspicion that she might like him. Actually, on second thought, he was pretty sure about it. Juvia always showed signs of affection, to say the least, towards him. She openly declared how much she liked him, she kept calling him "Gray-sama", she often daydreamed about the two of them being together, blushing furiously at the thought and she even thought Lucy to be her love rival. She might seem a little excessive or even annoying on some occasions but, Gray knew that she meant well, that her feelings were honest and true. And it wasn't like he didn't care about her and he certainly didn't want to hurt her feelings. "I am not even sure how I feel about Lucy right now. When I am a little clear about this, I'll talk to Juvia as well. I just hope things don't become too complicated" he thought a little worried as he made his way to the guild.

Fairy Tail was much quieter than it was that morning. Since it was noon, most of the guild members had gone to their homes but there were still quite a few people left. Lucy was sitting at the bar at the same stop that she was on the morning. Cana and Mirajane were still there so Lucy told them everything that had happened that morning when she went shopping with Gray.

"That's first. I've never thought that Gray could do something like this" Cana said a little surprised.

"That was pretty nice of him. How do you feel about it Lucy?" Mirajane asked.

"Well" Lucy said with a slight blush "that was really kind" she said quietly.

"Only kind? Lucy, you've been smiling ever since you returned to the guild. Did something else happen?" Mirajane asked with a wink.

"I don't know. Perhaps" Lucy said shyly. "He was acting a little weird on our way back. And when we got outside of the guild he seemed to be in a rush to leave. He said he was going to come back though. And I told him I was going to wait. I am still not sure what to think about it" she said confused.

"Maybe he was trying to clear his own feelings. You know, Gray is not very good with this sort of things" Cana said taking a sip from her drink.

"Perhaps" Lucy said and then she noticed the wooden cup on Cana's hand. "This is not still coffee, is it?" she asked.

"At this time of day? No, I replaced it with something stronger" Cana said lightly. Lucy sighted.

"Anyway" she continued "I remember that Gemini had said that Gray was interested when they copied his form. I didn't pay much attention to that back then, but now that I think about it, maybe he does have some feelings" she finished.

"What about you Lucy? How do you feel about him?" Mirajane asked.

"I don't know. I always considered him a close friend. We've been through a lot together. But something more" Lucy said thoughtfully, trying to figure out her own feelings. "But then again I felt really nice when he bought that dress for me" she continued with a faint smile. "Surprised at first. But he had such a tender look on his eyes and such a genuine smile that he made me feel really special. And it's not so much about the dress. What counted more was his move, the fact that he didn't want me to be sad, he wanted to make me feel better. And I always thought he was pretty good looking" she said blushing a little, making the other two girls giggle. "But then, there's also Juvia. You guys both know how much she likes him. I could never do this to her, she is one of my best friends! I guess she was right after all when she considered me a love rival" Lucy finished as she fell on the counter again.

"Here we go again" Cana said lazily. "You know Lucy, I am a little hurt though. You said that you consider Gray and Juvia to be among your best friends. What about me, am I not one of your best friends?" she teased pretending to be hurt.

"What? Of course you are Cana! Why would you say that? Don't you know it already?" Lucy whined as she barely lifted her head.

"I know silly! I'm just messing with you!" Cana said grinning as she wrapped her arm around Lucy's shoulders in a tight grip.

"You're mean Cana!" Lucy complained and fell on the counter again.

"Come on, don't tease her Cana" Mirajane said. "Anyway, about what you said before, about Gray and Juvia. Yeah, you're probably right" she said rubbing her chin. "But you know, Juvia has been spending a lot of time with Freed lately" the white haired girl added with a smile as she discreetly pointed at a table behind Lucy and Cana.

"What?! With Freed? Really?" Lucy said surprised as she instantly lifted her head and turned towards the direction that Mirajane was pointing. Cana turned towards that direction surprised as well. The table was a little secluded and, indeed the blue haired girl was sitting there along with the green haired leader of the Raijinshu. They seemed to have a pretty pleasant discussion.

"Juvia and Freed? But how?" Lucy asked puzzled as she turned towards Mirajane again.

"Apparently Freed felt really bad about that incident at the fighting festival when he faced Juvia and Cana" the white haired bar tender explained. "And he was also really impressed by Juvia's decision to protect Cana. So he went to apologize and it seems that they got closer" she finished her explanation smiling.

"Hm, that jerk Freed" Cana snorted.

"Now, now don't be like this Cana. You know that Freed is not such a bad person" Mirajane tried to calm her.

"Yeah, I guess" Cana said waving her hand.

"So, Juvia and Freed huh? Good, I am happy for them!" Lucy said smiling.

"Yeah, they seem to get along pretty well! And that also means that you don't really need to worry about hurting her or anything. So, what are you going to do?" Mirajane asked.

"I don't know. I suppose I'll just talk to him when he gets back and see what happens" Lucy said. After a while the door opened and a red haired, teenage girl walked inside the guild and approached the bar, greeting the rest of the guild members. The three girls turned towards her and their faces were lighted by bright smiles.

"Erza has returned!" Lucy said enthusiastically.

"Hello everyone! I'm back" the red haired girl greeted.

"Welcome back Erza!" Mirajane greeted smiling.

"Hello Erza. Where's master? Didn't he come with you?" Cana asked.

"No, he is still in town. He is doing some catching up with master Bob and master Goldmine, you know talking about their younger days and stuff like that. There was no more reason for me to be there and he told me that I could get back if I wanted to. So here I am" Erza said.

"Erza, I'm so glad you're here!" Lucy said and hugged her tightly. Erza blinked a couple of minutes surprised before she returned the hug with a small smile.

"Yeah, I'm happy too but, calm down Lucy. I wasn't gone for that long. Did something happen?" the red haired girl asked a little worried.

"Nothing to worry about Erza. But you better sit down, it's a long story" Cana said lightly.

"Okay, but before that, where's Natsu? He still hasn't returned?" Erza asked looking around the place.

"No, he must still be in the forest with Lisanna and Happy. I bet that they are lying under the trees right now, enjoying the cool breeze!" Mirajane said happily.

"I see. And what about Gray? He was still here when I left with master" Erza asked.

"Well, I think I can answer that" Lucy said with a slight blush after loosing her grip on her friend. The blond girl explained once again everything that had happened that morning. Erza listened to the whole story with great interest. When Lucy finished she smiled.

"Gray did that, huh? That guy… So Lucy, now you think you have feelings for him?" she asked. Lucy nodded. "And you think that he has feelings for you too?" Erza asked again.

"I don't know, I guess" Lucy said.

"I see. You and Gray" Erza said blushing a little. "It seems like we are going to have some romance in our team. But it seems you aren't sure about his feelings" Erza said thoughtfully. "Do you want me to ask him for you?" she suddenly said.

"What?! No, I don't need you to do that! I just need some advice on how to ask him myself about his feelings" Lucy said waving her hands.

"Hm, that's a tough one" Erza said crossing her arms.

"I know! Why don't you go on a job together? That should give you enough time to think what you are going to say to him" Mirajane said.

"Actually, that's a pretty good idea" Cana commented.

"Go on a job, huh? This sounds good actually. Well, I should better go take a look on the board then. I need to find something that's not too hard" Lucy said as she got off her seat and turned towards the request board.

"Actually, that won't be necessary. I think I got the perfect job for you right here" Mirajane said as she picked up a job request from her counter and gave it to Lucy.

"You're ready for everything, aren't you Mirajane?" Erza said raising her eyebrow.

"I don't know what you mean Erza. I just thought it was interesting" Mirajane said simply.

"This request is from Lord Blackwood. It says here that he is holding a ball at his mansion and he needs some mages to guard his collection of jewels" Lucy said after looking at the request.

"So what do you say Lucy? It's a dance! You couldn't ask for a more romantic setting" Mirajane said enthusiastically.

"Yeah, you're probably right" Lucy said thoughtfully. At that time the door opened again and this time it was a dark haired young mage who walked in and moved towards the bar where the girls were sitting.

"Look Lucy, Gray is back. So what are you going to do? Have you made up your mind?" Mirajane asked silently.

"Yes, yes I've decided. I'll tell him. Just don't rush me!" Lucy whispered.

"Hey girls. Erza, when did you come back?" Gray said when he got closer.

"Not long ago. Where have you been?" Erza asked.

"Oh you know, nowhere in particular. Just walking around the city. Had to take care of some things" Gray said vaguely rubbing the back of his head. "So, what about you girls? What were you up to?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing. Lucy just found an interesting job request. Didn't you Lucy?" Mirajane said. Lucy leered her.

"Yeah, I did" she said eventually. "Here Gray. What do you think, should we take it?" she tried to say as lightly as she could while giving him the job request.

"Hm, this actually looks interesting. And the pay seems pretty good" Gray said thoughtfully as he saw the job request. "I think we should take it. But I also think that Erza should come with us" he said. The girls looked at him surprised.

"Erza? But why? Don't you think we can handle this on our own?" Lucy said eagerly.

"Lord Blackwood is one of the richest people in the country" Gray said seriously. "And his jewel collection is really rare and valuable. If he is asking for mages with his security then that must mean that he is expecting all kinds of thieves to go after his collection. And I've heard that he also knows some magic himself. So I think it's better if there are more than just the two of us. Trust me, it's gonna be harder if it is just you and me. We won't be able to deal with anything else, except the mission" he finished, emphasizing a little his last words. Lucy lowered her head slightly and smiled just a little without anyone, except Mirajane, noticing it.

"So he is not trying to avoid me. He just needs to feel more secure so he can focus on other things besides the mission. Gray, do you feel the way I feel?" Lucy said mentally.

"I guess you're right Gray. Now that you say it, I think that it would be better if I came along too" Erza said after thinking about it for a while.

"Nice one Gray. I guess you are at other things too except losing your clothes" Cana said jokingly.

"Gee, thanks Cana. By the way, you might want to slow down on your drinking. The cellar guy said that he is expecting a new shipment for our order in two days. If you're not careful, you might not have anything to drink for tomorrow" Gray said back.

"Ah, touché Gray" Cana replied calmly.

"But it says here that it's a dance. We need at least one more person. The dance is tomorrow night but the mansion is on the other side of the city so we should leave now if we are to be there on time. And Natsu isn't here yet. So where are we going to find another one?" Lucy said worried.

"Don't worry Lucy. I could help you with that" someone said next to her. Lucy almost jumped to the ceiling from her surprise and turned around quickly to see who talked. The rest of the mages turned surprised as well. In front of them was standing a handsome mage with long, orange, spiky hair. He was wearing a black tuxedo, light blue sunglasses and he had a shiny gold ring on his hand.

"Hi everyone! It's been a while" the orange haired mage greeted smiling.

"Loke, where did you come from?" Lucy said surprised.

"I heard the worried cries of you my princess and I had to rush to your rescue, me your shiny knight!" Loke said poetically.

"Princess?!" was the only thing that Lucy managed to say.

"I see you still have your way with the ladies Loke" Cana said smirking.

"And I see that you have grown even prettier since the last time that I saw you, if that's even possible, Cana!" Loke said with a flirting smile.

"Oh, stop it you!" Cana said with a slight blush.

"Okay, what are you really doing here Loke?" Gray asked a little alerted.

"Well, it's just that it's been a while since I've seen you guys so I thought I should drop by to say hi. Using my own magic of course. Is that so surprising?" the orange mage said lifting his hands.

"Of course not! It's so nice to see you again Loke! We've missed you" Mirajane said with a sweet smile.

"Thank you Mirajane. I got to say it's good to be back to the spirit world but I've really missed that smile of yours!" Loke said. Mirajane blushed lightly.

"Oh my, you never stop, do you?" she said with a small giggle.

"Loke, it's really nice to see you again. Welcome back" Erza said smiling.

"Yeah, I am happy to see you too Loke! Just, don't sneak up on me like this next time, okay?" Lucy finally said.

"I'll keep that in mind" Loke said laughing. "I've really missed this place thought."

"You are welcome to come whenever you want. You're still part of the guild, Loke" Mirajane said softly. "I know!" she said suddenly. "Lucy here's the fourth member of your team! Why don't you ask Loke to come with you?" she suggested enthusiastically.

"Now that I think about it, Loke is just perfect for this mission" Cana said.

"You think?" Lucy asked uncertain.

"A mission huh? Well, this sounds like fun. What kind of mission is it?" the orange haired mage asked interested.

"Here, take a look" Lucy said as she handed him the job request.

"A dance huh? Interesting!" Loke said as he saw the request.

"Hey, I am not sure about this. I don't think that Loke is right for this mission" Gray said.

"It seems like someone is afraid of completion" Mirajane thought with a sly smile. "Well, I think that he is just fine. Besides, where are going to find someone else right now?" she said decisively.

"I agree. I think that Loke should come with us" Erza said.

"What do you say Lucy?" Mirajane asked. Lucy nodded.

"I agree too" she said.

"I guess if everyone agrees then I'm fine too" Gray said grumpily.

"Good, it's decided then!" Erza said.

"This should be fun! We've never actually been on a mission together, have we Lucy?" Loke said.

"No, I don't think so" Lucy said blushing a little. Gray seemed to think intensely about something.

"Okay then. Loke why don't you come outside for a while, you know to do some catching up? Then we can talk about the mission and get ready to leave" he said.

"Sure Gray" Loke said and followed the ice mage out of the guild. Lucy watched them nervously.

"Hey are they going to be okay?" she said worried.

"Don't worry, those two are good friends from before" Erza said.

"Yeah, but Loke coming with us? I don't know wouldn't that complicate things?" Lucy said.

"I know that he has some feelings for you Lucy but if Gray also cares about you then he should fight for you" Mirajane said calmly.

"It's this fighting part that worries me" Lucy mumbled.

"So what's the matter Gray? You've been acting a little strange since I got back" Loke said.

"Yeah, sorry about that. Anyway, I need to ask you, how do you feel about Lucy?" Gray said straight.

"What do you mean?" Loke asked confused.

"I know that you had some feelings for Lucy. You still feel this way about her, don't you?" Gray said. Loke stared at him for a while.

"Yes, of course I still have feelings for her. Why do you ask?" he said seriously.

"Because the truth is that I may have feelings for her too" Gray said.

"What? You have feelings for Lucy?" Loke said surprised.

"Let me explain you" Gray said as he told Loke about what had happened that morning, as well as about the way he started to feel. Loke listened to him silently and when he finished his story, he lowered his head and smiled.

"Is that so? And how do you think she feels? Does she also like you?" he asked.

"I am not sure, but I think she does" Gray said a little uncertain.

"And what about you Gray? Are your feelings strong enough? Do you really care about her?" Loke asked.

"I do! I wasn't sure at first, but I know now. But as I told you, I am not sure how she feels though. That's why I was planning to talk to her" Gray said.

"And do you want me to step down? To back off?" Loke asked straight. Gray looked at him seriously.

"I could never ask you to do that. I can imagine how you must feel. I just wanted to explain to you how I feel. We are friends from long ago so I think I owe you at least that much. And I don't want to fight you, as I am sure that Lucy wouldn't want that either" he said.

"That's true" Loke said smiling. "Well, if that's the case then I'll let you have the first move. Things between Lucy and me are a little strange anyway. I am still a spirit and she is a mage. And the thing is that I only care about her happiness, even if it is with someone else. Anyway, I know that she couldn't find a better guy than you" he said as he patted Gray on the shoulder.

"Thanks Loke! I know that must be hard for you. I really appreciate it" Gray said.

"I want you to know this though. I know that you can be a little awkward at this kind of situations. So if you blow this, if you hurt her even by accident, even if you didn't mean to, I will be there for her! I will not allow her to be sad, I will allow her to lose her smile. And I will beat some sense to you!" Loke said strongly. Gray smiled.

"I know what you mean. I will hold you to this pal. But I also want you to know that I will not hurt her and I will try to make her happy. You can count on that!" he said just as intensely with a grin.

"Good. Now let's get back to the guild. The girls will probably wonder what's taking us so long" Loke said smiling.

"Yeah, you're right. Wait!" Gray said suddenly.

"What is it?" Loke asked.

"If you leave me with Lucy, then that leaves you with Erza! Are you sure about this?" Gray asked hesitantly.

"Sure, why not? Maybe it's because I haven't seen Erza in a while but she seems more beautiful than ever" Loke said lightly.

"Hey do you remember Erza? Do you really want to get punched again?" Gray asked with a deadpawn face.

"Oh come on Gray, I don't think she is still that bad. She seemed pretty nice to me" Loke said.

"You talked to her for ten minutes! Oh well, do what you want. I warned you. Now let's get back" Gray said shaking his head. The two of them got inside the guild and walked towards the bar. Lucy sighed in relief when she saw both of them unharmed.

"What took you guys so long?" Cana asked.

"You know, we just had some catching up to do. So, now that we are all here we should probably get ready for the mission. Let's meet at the entrance of the guild in about half an hour okay?" Gray said.

"It's not going to take me that long to get ready" Loke said as he snapped his fingers. His tuxedo glowed and it was replaced by a light, green coloured shirt and blue trousers, and his hair became shorter. "I just wait for you guys at the entrance" he said lightly.

"Show off" Gray said as everyone laughed.

It had been a couple of hours since Lucy and the others left for their mission. It was already afternoon and the guild had become crowded again. Mirajane was wiping a wooden cup while talking with Cana who seemed determined to spend her entire day at the same spot. The door opened again and this time it was a rowdy, pink haired mage who entered the guild along with a beautiful teenage girl, with short, white hair and a blue, winged cat.

"We are back!" the pink haired mage said loudly.

"Aye!" the blue cat said excited.

"You guys haven't changed one bit" the white haired girl said smiling. The three of them walked towards the bar where Mirajane was standing.

"We are back Mira-nee! Although I think that you already heard that" the white haired girl said with a big smile.

"Welcome home guys! Did you have fun?" Mirajane said.

"Aye! Lisanna wanted to see the city so first we went for a walk around the city. Then we went for fishing in the forest. We caught a lot of fish too!" Happy said excited. "I would have brought some back for you too Mirajane but Natsu ate all of them!" he finished.

"I did not! That was you Happy! Stop pinning that on me!" Natsu yelled.

"But it's true that you ate more than Happy and me together Natsu" Lisanna said.

"Not you too Lisanna!" Natsu said frustrated. The girls laughed.

"Anyway, where is everyone? I can't see Lucy, Erza or ice brain anywhere" Natsu said looking around.

"That's true, I can't find them either" Happy said.

"Well" Mirajane said sweating a little.

"Well what?" Natsu and Happy both asked.

"The truth is that, they all left on a mission together a few hours ago" Mirajane said quickly. Natsu and Happy went silent for a moment with frozen expressions.

"Here it comes" Cana said.

"WHAT?!" Natsu and Happy yelled at the same time, making the guild shake a little.

"They left without us?! How could they do this?" Natsu yelled, shooting flames.

"I can't believe this! I feel betrayed! Lucy why?" Happy said dramatically.

"Now, now, calm down you two" Mirajane said with a nervous smile.

"Just let them get it out of their system Mira-nee. They'll be fine in a while" Lisanna said.

"Hey Salamander, stop yelling! I am not in a mood to hear your rumble!" a mage with long, spiky, black hair yelled.

"What was that Gazille? You want some?" Natsu yelled angrily.

"Oh that's what you want? Bring it punk" Gazille said.

"Here we go again" Cana said boringly as to nobody's surprise an all out brawl soon broke out. Mirajane and Lisanna watched the brawl smiling.

"Things are never boring around here" Mirajane said.

"Yeah, it's good to be back" Lisanna said smiling.

"That's right. Lisanna finally came back to us all the way over from Edolas. And Loke returned to us too, even if it is for a while" Mirajane thought. "It seems that wherever we are, our hearts are still connected and eventually we find our way back home, here in Fairy Tail!" she continued her thoughts as she turned her head towards the window and saw the blue sky. "I hope you guys are safe and have fun! I can't wait to learn what happened when you finally get back" she finished her thoughts smiling as Lucy and the others came to her mind.

**Author's note: Well that's an original team! I am not sure if I'm actually going to do a Loke/Erza pairing in addition to the main pairing of the story, but I wouldn't rule this one out. I think that it would also be kinda original since there are barely any stories with the two of them. Anyway, the poll on my Naruto/Fairy Tail story still continues for those who are interested. Until next time, see you later!**


	3. Dancing Lessons

**Author's note: Hey everyone! The new chapter is up. It seems like this story is going to be a little longer than I thought, but I have no problem with that since I am having some new ideas about it. Anyway, I hope you like it. I do not own Fairy Tail.  
**

**HIDDEN FEELINGS**

**CHAPTER 3**

The Fairy Tail mages made their way through the city. Gray was walking lazily with his hands in his pockets, glancing occasionally at Lucy, who was moving in a more lively way. Loke was looking around the city smiling, while Erza was a little behind them pulling a heavily loaded wagon with all kinds of stuff.

"I've missed walking around the city like this" Loke said nostalgically.

"What, you don't have big cities in the spirit world?" Gray asked jokingly.

"No, not really" Loke answered simply.

"Come to think of it, I've always wondered. How exactly does the spirit world look like?" Lucy asked.

"Sorry Lucy, I am not allowed to say that. Just try to use your imagination, all I can tell you is that it's a beautiful, starry place" Loke responded.

"I see" Lucy said. She smiled at the thought that the spirits lived in a beautiful world of their own. She imagined large, grassy plains, tall trees and blue rivers and a clear, starry sky above them. Lucy smiled brightly as she imagined the spirits living in a place like this. Gray's chest skipped a heartbeat as he noticed Lucy's dreamy expression. She looked so adorable at that moment that Gray had to suppress his sudden urge to hug her tightly at that very moment. No, he didn't want to ruin his chances by rushing like this, he first needed to talk to her, to tell her how he felt.

"There's another thing that I haven't done in a while" Loke said as he noticed a café. "Hey guys, I think we have enough time to stop for a cup of coffee, right. What do you think?" he asked as he turned towards the other mages.

"I don't think that's a bad idea" Lucy said.

"I agree. There's no need to rush, we still have some time" Erza said.

"I don't mind either" Gray agreed.

"Let's go then" Loke said as the mages entered the coffee place. They sat on a table at the balcony and took a look at the menu. After a while a waitress, a cute, young girl with shoulder length, blond hair who was wearing a blue apron, came to take their order.

"Good evening! What would you like to order?" she asked with a kind smile.

"I would like the brownies with vanilla ice-cream and chocolate syrup, please" Lucy ordered.

"Nice choice. I'll have the strawberry cake" Erza said.

"I'll take a peach flavoured ice tea, please" Gray asked.

"And I would like a Cappuccino Freddo, please" Loke said.

"Very well! Anything else?" the waitress asked.

"No, that would be all" Lucy said.

"Okay then, I'll be back in a while" the waitress said smiling and took off.

"So what's been happening at the guild lately? What have I missed?" Loke asked.

"Not much, you already have a good idea. You were in Edolas too, weren't you?" Gray said.

"Oh yeah! I wonder what Edo-Lucy is doing right now?" Loke wondered, looking at the sky.

"Do you now? She will probably bully Edo-Natsu or fight with Edo-Levy or something like this. But didn't she turn you down, saying that she doesn't like playboys?" Lucy said. Loke nearly fell off his chair.

"Did you have to remind me that?" he said as the other mages started laughing. "Anyway, I think if I had some more time with her she would grow to like me" he continued. "I would really like to meet Edo-Erza though."

"I am not so sure about this. That Erza was cruel and cold-hearted, an enemy of Fairy Tail. I doubt if you would get along with her" Erza said seriously.

"But she changed, didn't she? You changed her. Despite all your obvious differences your hearts were in the same place, like everyone else's counterparts who were in Fairy Tail, right?" Loke said.

"I guess you're right. She wasn't such a bad person after all" Erza admitted smiling.

"I wonder how Edo-Loke would look like" Loke said.

"He would probably be an incredibly shy guy that Edi-Lucy would beat up!" Lucy said proudly. Loke sweatdropped at the thought.

"I guess. Anyway, why are you so proud of?" he mumbled.

"I don't think he would be worse than Edo-Gray. That guy wore more clothes at once than I wear in a month" Gray said.

"That's not very hard, you barely wear any clothes most of the time" Erza said.

"Ha, ha, very funny! Did Cana tell you to say that?" Gray said annoyed. The rest of the mages laughed again as the waitress approached them and left four glasses and a bottle of cold water.

"Your order will be here shortly" she said kindly as she left.

"Anyway, the truth is that I would really like to see these guys again. I hope they're okay. I've kinda missed them" Lucy said with a nostalgic tone in her voice.

"Yeah, me too. They were really nice fellows" Gray said.

"Don't worry about them, I am sure they are fine. Besides, Mystogan is with them now so things should be better" Erza said.

"You're probably right. It's funny though. I had barely seen the guy but it feels a little strange to think that he is not in the guild anymore. Although I don't think I'll miss falling asleep in the middle of the day while I'm talking" Gray said.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Even though he was gone for most the time there was always a feeling that he was around, he was still a member of the guild" Erza said. Loke noticed that his friends became a little depressed so he tried to end that topic of discussion and lift their spirits.

"It's fine. Everything turned out okay, didn't they? Even Lisanna returned to the guild. There's no reason to get depressed like this. Cheer up!" he said smiling. At that time the waitress came with their order.

"Here you go, brownies for the blond lady, strawberry cake for the red haired miss and an ice tea and a Cappuccino Freddo for the two gentlemen. Enjoy!" she said.

"Thanks a lot" Loke said smiling as the waitress blushed and left.

"I think she likes you" Lucy teased Happy-like.

"Well I was just being nice" Loke said simply. "Anyway, have any of you guys ever been to a ball before?" he asked.

"I have, when I was little. It was years ago though" Lucy said.

"I've been in a ball before. All you have to do is wear a formal outfit and dance, it's not something hard" Erza said.

"It is, the way you dance" Gray mumbled.

"Fine, we'll talk about it later" Loke sighed. "By the way, what do you know about this lord Blackwood" he asked.

"Not much. Just that he is one of the richest guys in the country" Gray said.

"He is more than that. He comes from an old family of nobles. His mansion is on the out skirts of the city and it's one of the oldest buildings in the city. He is also a kin businessman and an old acquaintance of my father. I think I've met him when I was little. I was too young to remember though" Lucy said.

"Then he must know you. That should make things a little easier" Gray said.

"Perhaps" Lucy responded uncertain.

"I've heard that he is a strange guy. He doesn't associate himself with a lot of people. And he doesn't do events like this very often" Erza said.

"Well if he is afraid that they are going to steal from him I guess it makes sense" Gray said.

"I don't think he is afraid. Maybe he is just eccentric" Erza commented.

"Still, I don't think that this is something that the four of us won't be able to handle. We should just relax and enjoy it" Loke said with confidence.

"You're right. Besides, he is a smart man. I don't think he is going to rely just on us to protect his jewels" Lucy said. Gray and Erza nodded in agreement. The Fairy Tail mages finished their desserts and beverages, paid for them and continued their way.

* * *

"Natsu, how long are you going to keep pouting?" Happy asked. The pink haired mage and the winged, blue Exceed were taking their walk in the city. Natsu was walking with his arms behind his head while having a pouted expression on his face and Happy was casually floating around him.

"What do you want Happy? I am still angry at these guys for leaving us behind just like that. And I know that you are annoyed too so don't act all cool and stuff" Natsu said.

"I thought that the whole brawling thing would cheer you up" Happy commented.

"It did, but it felt a little strange without Gray there. Gazille is not very good at coming up with new names and half the stuff that Elfman sais are about man and manly stuff" Natsu said boringly as they turned walked towards one of the river bridges. "Besides, we are supposed to be a team. We are supposed to go to missions together" he continued as he leaned on the rail of the bridge.

"Mirajane said that they wanted us to go with them but they couldn't wait. It's not like they just ignored us. After all, it's not like we've never been on missions by ourselves before. You're making too big of a deal out of it" Happy said.

"Yeah, you're right I guess. Now the only thing left for us to do is figure out what are we going to do these couple of days until they come back" Natsu said with his spirits lifted.

"Aye!" Happy said excited.

"Natsu! Happy!" the two mages heard a familiar voice and turned to see who was calling them. They saw a beautiful, white haired girl running towards them, waving her hand.

"Lisanna!" both Natsu and Happy said excited.

"Hey guys!" Lisanna greeted as she reached them and stopped to take a breath. "I've been looking for you" she said.

"You have? Why?" Happy said wondered.

"Yeah, if it is about the guild, sorry we left before helping to clean up" Natsu said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head. "We'll go do this right away!" he continued and prepared to leave.

"What? No, don't worry about this. Mira-nee already has this under control. It's fine, you don't need to go. I just wanted to check up on you. How've you guys been?" Lisanna asked concerned.

"Don't worry about us, we're just fine!" Natsu said energetically.

"Aye!" Happy agreed.

"I'm glad" Lisanna said with a faint smile and lowered her head.

"Lisanna? What happened? Are you okay?" Happy asked concerned as he and Natsu looked at her worried.

"Yes, it's just. It's my fault. You guys spent almost the entire day with me and now you are left behind. I'm sorry" Lisanna said sadly. Natsu and Happy looked at her shocked for a moment.

"What are you talking about Lisanna? No one's blaming!" Happy yelled.

"Happy's right, it's nobody's fault! We just did something different once in a while, it's no big deal! Lisanna, look at me!" Natsu said intensely as he grabbed her by the shoulders. Lisanna looked at him with teary eyes. "This day that we spent together , has been one of the best days of my life! I couldn't be happier that you got back, everyone's thrilled about it! Including Lucy and Wendy who didn't even know you! I don't regret this, not even one bit! So please, don't say things like that!" Natsu finished with a heavy voice.

"We love you Lisanna! What happened to you? It's not like you to get depressed like that, you're always cheerful" Happy said with teary eyes. Lisanna smiled and wiped her own eyes.

"I know guys, I love you too! Sorry, I don't know what got into me, I just thought… Forget it, it was stupid! Come here" the white haired girl said as she hugged them. The three of them stayed like this for a while until they finally broke the hug with flushed faces.

"Hey Lisanna, what are you holding there?" Happy asked after noticing something on her hand.

"Oh this? It's nothing, just a job request. I thought we could go on this together, if you weren't mad at me or anything" Lisanna said with a small smile and a slight blush as she extended her hand to show them what she was holding.

"A mission together? Cool! And it doesn't look very hard either" the pink haired mage said as he took the job request and scanned it.

"Yeah, it's something simple. Just to pass the time" Lisanna said smiling. Natsu smiled as well and looked at her tenderly.

"Huh, what's wrong Natsu? Why are you looking at me like this?" Lisanna asked confused.

"I've really missed you Lisanna!" Natsu said as he hugged her again. "I've really, really missed you" he said as he hugged her more tightly, like he was afraid he was going to lose her again.

"Natsu" Lisanna said surprised as she blushed furiously. She then smiled sweetly and returned the hug. "I've missed you too!" she said softly. Happy watched them hugging with a big smile.

"Hey, we should better get going, we have a mission here, right?" Natsu said waving the job request after they broke their hug.

"Yeah, but it's getting dark. Let's do it tomorrow, okay? We'll meet up in the morning at the guild" Lisanna said smiling.

"Right. Now let's get back to the guild. I need to get back at Gazille for earlier" Natsu said as turned towards the guild.

"You will do no such thing! They are probably still cleaning the guild. You will not make a mess again, or else this time you will clean up yourselves!" Lisanna said half-seriously, half-jokingly with her hands on her waist.

"Aye" Natsu said with a deadpawn look.

"Aye" Happy added with the exact same expression. Lisanna laughed cheerfully and followed them to the guild.

* * *

The guild was still a mess, but in much better condition than it was a couple of hours ago after the brawl of the day had ended. Most of the people had already left since it was getting late but not before they did their part in the cleaning of the guild. They didn't have much choice since Mirajane had kindly requested this from everyone, the alternative being her getting angry. And that was something that brought shivers to everyone's spine. A couple of people were still at the guild doing some cleaning though, since they were a little more responsible for the mess.

"Damn it! Why do we have to do all the cleaning? Where's Salamander, he's as much responsible for this us the rest of us!" Gazille said angrily.

"Shut up and clean! It's a man's job to clean his mess!" a big, white haired mage said emphatically.

"I know! And told tell me to shut up! Or I'm gonna throw this bucket to your face!" Gazille snapped.

"Really? Go ahead and try!" the white haired mage challenged.

"Now, now boys, Gazille, Elfman, don't make a mess again! Just finish your cleaning so we can all rest" Mirajane said with a kind and a little dangerous smile.

"Fine" Gazille said grumpily.

"Okay nee-chan" Elfman said sweating a little.

"Good boys!" Mirajane praised. A blue haired girl was watching the scene with a small smile until a green haired mage approached her.

"Oh hello, Freed-san. Are you done?" the blue haired girl asked.

"Yes, it didn't take me that long. I barely did any damage. Especially, compared to them" the green haired mage answered, wiping his hands with a towel. "Are you alright Juvia-san? You look a little worried" he added after noticing her expression.

"It's nothing! Juvia is just thinking what Gray-sama might be doing right now. Or if he is thinking about Juvia at all" the water mage said with a slight blush.

"No need to worry, Gray is one of the strongest mages of the guild, I'm sure he is fine. Besides I told you, you don't need to think about Gray all the time" Freed said.

"Yes but, I can't help it" Juvia said shyly.

"Okay I got an idea. How about I take you to dinner tonight? Maybe this way you could stop thinking about Gray for a while and, perhaps start thinking of someone else. So what do you say, will you give me the honor of accompanying you to dinner tonight, my fair lady?" Freed asked kindly making a bow like a knight and slightly kneeling in front of Juvia.

"Freed-san" Juvia stammered, blushing deeply. "Of course, Juvia would be happy to go to dinner with you!" she answered with a big smile. Freed smiled as well.

"Great! Then I'll pick you up at around 9 o'clock. Is that okay?" he asked. The blue haired girl nodded.

"Juvia will be waiting Freed-san" she said.

"Good, I'll meet you there Juvia-san" Freed said as he sassed her hand, bowed like a knight once again and turned around.

"Juvia will try not to look too bad" the water mage said shyly. Freed turned around smiling. "That's impossible my dear. You're always beautiful" he said and left. Juvia smiled brightly.

"Well it looks like you guys are getting along just fine" a brown haired girl said.

"Cana-san" Juvia said surprised. "Yes, Freed-san is really nice" she added smiling.

"I guess he is. Well, we should better get you ready for your big date! Right Mira?" Cana said winking.

"Of course!" Mirajane said smiling.

"Cana-san, Mirajane-san. Thank you" Juvia said blushing a little.

* * *

The four mages continued their way on the out skirts of the city. Since they were nearly out of the city, the houses became more sparse and the forest started to grow thicker.

"Hey guys, wait. I just thought of something" Loke said as he stopped walking.

"What is it?" Lucy asked as the rest of the mages stopped as well.

"The mission takes place at a ball. Do any of you know how to dance?" Loke asked. The mages looked each other.

"Well, I did take some lessons when I was little. I think I know a couple of things" Lucy said.

"Yeah, I am not very good at this kind of stuff" Gray said rubbing the back of his head. Erza smiled with confidence.

"You guys should be more ready more the missions you pick" she said crossing her arms.

"You mean you know how to dance?" Gray asked with disbelief.

"Of course" Erza said simply.

"There's only one way to find out. Let's practice. But first, we are going to need some music" Loke said.

"Where are we going to find music in the middle of the forest?" Lucy asked emphatically.

"Oh come on Lucy. You mean that you don't know any spirits that play music?" Loke said. Lucy blinked for a while confused and then she smacked her head as she suddenly remembered.

"Of course, how could I forget!" she said as she reached for her belt and took out a silver colloured key. "I open the gate of the harp, Lyra!" she said with a loud voice. A cute, blond girl dressed in a blue and pink dress appeared through a bright light.

"Hi Lucy!" the blond girl greeted happily.

"Hi Lyra" Lucy greeted back waving her hand.

"Lucy do you know how long it has been since you last summoned me? You said you were going to summon me more often! You big meanie!" the blond girl whined.

"I told you already, I can't summon you whenever I want. It's not my fault" Lucy said in defense.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that" Lyra said with a carefree smile.

"Still as cheerful as ever Lyra" Loke said laughing.

"Oh hi there Leo! I forgot that you were already here. You got to show me how you do this trick" Lyra said.

"I'll keep that in mind. So Lyra, will you play something for us? Something slow and a little formal, you know like in a ball?" Loke asked.

"Sure Leo! I'll start right away" Lyra said as she took out her harp and started playing a slow melody.

"So Erza, will you give me the honor of this dance?" the orange haired mage asked, making a small bow.

"Of course. Just let me put on something more convenient" Erza said as her outfit flashed and was replaced by a simple blue dress.

"Let's go Loke. Dancing is all about fighting spirit!" Erza said energetically.

"Fighting spirit?!" Loke said puzzled and before he could react, Erza pulled him and started spinning him rapidly.

"Hey Erza, calm down" Loke tried to say.

"You need more spirit Loke!" Erza said as she continued to spin him around. Gray and Lucy were watching with wide eyes. Even Lyra had stopped her music and was watching the "dance" stunned.

"I knew it" Gray said doing a face palm.

"Poor Loke" Lucy said.

"Okay enough!" Loke said with his sunglasses hanging from his ear while trying to stand straight. "Erza this is too intense. You need to relax a little"

"Eeh Loke, I'm over here. That's a tree you are talking too" Erza said waving her hand.

"Right" Loke said as he put his sunglasses straight, tried to regain his composure and turned towards Erza. "As I said, you're too tensed. You need to relax a little bit. Here, let me show you" he said as he moved closer to her. "As you probably know, there are several kinds of dances. Some of them are more intense and quicker. Others, like this one, have a slower pace. Here, let me show you the stance" he continued as he put his arm around her waist.

"What, what are you doing?" Erza stammered, blushing intensely.

"Hey relax, I'm just showing you" the orange haired mage said smiling. "Here, I put my arm like this" he said as he put his arm around Erza's waist and grabbed her gently but firmly "and you put your hand like this, on my shoulder" he continued as he placed her hand on his shoulder. "And then we hold hands like this" he finished as he gently took her other hand. "Lyra, can you continue please?" As Lyra resumed her music, Loke turned to Erza again "Now relax and feel the music flow inside you. Come on, follow my lead" he finished as he started to move slowly to the rhythm of the music. Erza followed his lead, shyly at first but it wasn't long before she took the hand of it and started dancing more comfortably. The light shade of pink never left her face though since Loke was holding her pretty close to him but, strangely she didn't seem to mind. Instead she was actually feeling like she was enjoying it. Lucy and Gray were watching them smiling.

"So Lucy" Gray started a little awkwardly rubbing the back of his head.

"Yes Gray, what is it?" Lucy asked with an innocent look on her face.

"Would you like to, um you know, practice too? You know, at dancing?" Gray asked trying to avoid Lucy's eyes. Damn it why was he acting like this? Why couldn't he be more straight.

"Oh sure! I'd love too!" Lucy responded hastily with a slight blush.

"Really? Okay then, come on" Gray said as he turned towards her. "Well, I put my arm like this, right?" he said as he hesitantly put his arm around Lucy's waist and then took her hand.

"Yeah, that's right" Lucy said as she put her hand on Gray's shoulder. "So, shall we?" she said softly still blushing.

"Sure, if you're ready" Gray said. The two of them started moving around slowly, but not quite as smoothly as the other two.

"Ouch!" Lucy cried in pain as Gray accidentally stepped on her.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Are you okay?" Gray asked embarrassed. "Clumsy idiot!" he thought angrily at himself.

"Yes I'm fine, don't worry about it. Let's try again okay?" Lucy soothed him. Gray nodded and the two mages continued their dance more smoothly this time. They were so close that it was strange how they didn't feel each other's heart which was pumping like crazy. Or could they? Gray looked at Lucy's face and felt his own face heat up. What should he do? Should he kiss her? Was it too soon? Gray moved his head to send these thoughts away. He was going to enjoy the dance for the moment, he had Lucy in his arms and that was enough. The Fairy Tail mages kept dancing for a while longer until the sun began to set.

"Oops! It seems that we got a little bit carried away" Lucy said.

"Yeah, it's getting dark. It would probably be better if we found a place to camp and spend the night" Erza commented. Gray and Loke nodded in agreement and they stopped their dance.

"Bye Lyra, thanks for everything!" Lucy greeted the blond girl.

"Anytime Lucy! See you later Leo!" the cheerful spirit waved back as she disappeared. The mages continued their way and soon found a good spot to spend the night. The night had already fallen and the Fairy Tail mages had lighted up on bonfire and set up a small camp. Lucy was sitting and looking at the small fire with her head leaning on her knees while Gray, who was next to her, was lying on his back looking at the stars. Erza was on the other side of the small fire and she was lying as well with her eyes closed and Loke was sitting next to her and he was playing with a small, wooden stick.

"You know Erza, you've kinda changed" he said.

"Really? Why are you saying this?" the red haired girl asked as she opened her eyes and turned towards him.

"If I had asked you to dance earlier you would probably punch me away" Loke said.

"Is that so? I guess you're right. However, this was just for the mission. I can still punch you away" Erza said with a small smile.

"Yeah, right" Loke said smiling as he turned his head and looked at her. "I also noticed that you smile more often than you used too. That's nice, you should keep doing this. You look really cute when you're smiling" he said looking directly into her eyes without losing his smile. It was a good thing that it was night and Erza's face was half covered because she really wouldn't want Loke to notice her furious blush at that moment. She turned on the other side and smiled.

"Really now? Thanks Loke. Good night" she said with her back turned on him.

"Good night Erza" Loke said as he took off his sunglasses and lied down as well.

"Hey Lucy" Gray said.

"Yes Gray" the blond girl said drowsily as she lied down and covered herself with her sleeping bag.

"You dance really well" the dark haired mage complimented her.

"Thanks Gray. You dance pretty well too" Lucy said.

"Well I already knew a couple of things but I guess, I also had a good teacher" Gray said Jokingly. "Good night Lucy, sleep well" he said softly.

"Good night Gray" she said smiling. "Good night everyone" she said to rest of her friends. The rest of the mages said good night as well and slowly went to sleep under the clear, starry night sky. Gray turned around and watched Lucy sleeping peacefully with a smile on her face and smiled as well until he slowly fell asleep himself.

**Author's note: There goes this chapter! I think I had quite a few pairings in this one. I always liked the Natsu/Lisanna pairing, since they go way back, so I wanted to do something with them. I think it turned out well, right? I also added a small scene with Freed and Juvia, I know it's a little strange but I think they would look cute together. And finally, I liked the idea of the Loke/Erza pairing so I think I will continue with this and of course with the main pairing of the story. Anyway, the poll on my other story still continues, I will update it eventually, so you can vote and let me know what you think if you want to. Until next time, take care! See you later guys!**


	4. A merry band of thieves

**Author's note: Hey everyone! The new chapter is up and ready! Hope you like it, enjoy! I do not own Fairy Tail.  
**

**HIDDEN FEELINGS**

**CHAPTER 4**

The sun began to rise from the horizon, sending its warm light over the city of Magnolia. The streets of the city slowly started to become busy again as people began their daily routines. A little further from the main part of Magnolia, on the outskirts of the city, a group of Fairy Tail mages was sleeping soundly in the calm forest. A couple of hours later, Lucy rubbed her eyes as the sunrays hit her beautiful face and yawned as she started to wake up. She felt a warm breath on her back so she turned around to see who it was, only to find Gray's sleeping face just inches away from her own. Lucy felt her face heat up, not only from the sun, so she reacted on instinct, without thinking.

"You are too close!" she yelled as she pushed Gray away.

"Whaaa!" Gray yelled as he rolled around and fell head first on one of the nearby trees. The bump was so loud that a few birds flew away and it also caused Erza and Loke to wake up as well.

"What? What? What? I can explain, I was drunk last night! It wasn't me!" Loke said as he started looking around dizzy. Lucy looked at him curiously.

"What were you dreaming about?" she mumbled.

"What happened Lucy? Are you okay? Why are you yelling? What happened to Gray?" she asked sleepily as she saw the scene.

"Well" Lucy began hesitantly as Gray was still next to the tree, twitching.

"Are you crazy? Why did you do that for?" he yelled as he suddenly sat up. "Aargh! It hurts!" he groaned as he caught a pretty large bump on his head.

"Well, I'm sorry… But it's your fault too! Why were you sleeping so close to me?" Lucy said with flushed cheeks.

"That's because…" Gray stammered, rubbing the back of his head. "That's because when I woke up last night I saw you all curled and shaking. So I threw my jacket on you and I moved a little closer to you to keep you warm. If that's a bad then I'm sorry" he said trying to avoid Lucy's eyes.

"Oh! Well, then…" Lucy said a little embarrassed as she noticed Gray's dark blue and white jacket on her sleeping bag. "Thanks Gray! And I'm sorry for waking you up like this and pushing you on that tree, okay?" she said with a small smile. Gray couldn't help but smile back.

"It's fine! Don't worry about it" he said waving his hand in a calming way.

"Well, it's not fine! You were being so considerate and I gave you a bump! Here let me take a look at this" Lucy said as she moved closer to the ice mage.

"Hey what are you doing? I told you, it's fine!" Gray tried to push her as Lucy got in front of him and put her hands on his head. "Ouch!" he cried as Lucy lowered his head.

"Don't be such a baby! Let me see it" the blond girl said as she took a closer look. "Well, it doesn't look this bad. It's a good thing you have a hard head!" she joked.

"Gee, thanks!" Gray said grumpily. Lucy let out a cute laugh.

"Here, maybe this will make you feel better" she said as she softly kissed the spot where it was hurt. Gray held his breath once he felt Lucy's soft lips, he felt his face burn and his heart began bumping like crazy. He slowly lifted his head and looked Lucy, who had a flushed face as well, deep into her gorgeous, brown eyes.

"So, are you feeling better?" she asked with a cute smile. Gray tried to answer but all he could do was simply nod. His mind was working like crazy. What should he do? All he wanted at that moment was to grab Lucy and kiss her deeply. Should he do that or he would scare her away? Is that what she wanted, what she expected him to do? Suddenly he heard someone clearing his throat. That snapped him back to reality. That's right, they weren't alone. He slowly turned his head and saw Erza clearing her throat with an expression that was hard to tell what she was thinking and Loke with a sly smile. Lucy noticed them as well so they quickly grew apart, Lucy with a shy smile and Gray with a slightly embarrassed face.

"Way to go Gray! If you continue like this, you may become as popular with the ladies as me!" Loke said proudly.

"You damn playboy!" Gray mumbled angrily.

"Oh, really? You sound too cool for a guy who was like I was drunk just moments ago. What were you dreaming about anyway?" Erza said coldly. Loke's face became as white as snow.

"Aha, ha! You know it's funny story actually! Ha, ha! I'll tell you some other time! Well, since we're all up and all, we might as well get some breakfast! Who wants some coffee? I'll go to the city and buy some right away" he said hastily, trying to change the subject.

"Don't worry about it. I got it covered" Erza said calmly as she got up and moved towards the wagon. She quickly got back holding four boxes, two jars and a big bottle of water.

"How are you carrying all this stuff?" Lucy wondered.

"Here, take these" Erza said as she passed the boxes to everyone.

"Hey, cake" Gray lazily said as he opened his box.

"What else! What better way to start your day" Erza said as Lucy and Loke opened their boxes as well. "And, I have coffee and sugar in these" she continued as she pointed at the jars.

"Eeh, Erza do you have only coffee? How about something a little lighter?" Lucy asked.

"Well, I think I also have some tea with me" Erza said as she searched through the wagon. "Ah, here it is!" she said as she picked up a small bag.

"Wow Erza, you really are prepared!" Lucy said impressed.

"Of course Lucy. You still have a lot to learn" Erza said seriously.

"Eeh sure, okay" Lucy said sweatdropping a little. About half an hour later the Fairy Tail mages were enjoying their breakfast enjoying the soft breeze of the forest.

"That's nice! It's been a while since we last had a calm breakfast like this" Loke said. Lucy nodded in agreement.

"Hey guys, how do you think things are at the guild right now? Do you think they are also having a calm breakfast like we do here?" she asked. The mages looked each other in silence for a moment and then they all started laughing.

* * *

The guild was as lively as ever, even though it was still pretty early in the morning. Mirajane, the guild's favourite barmaid, was at her usual spot, wiping an already crystal clear glass. Cana, Juvia, Wendy and Charle were sitting at the bar next to her.

"So Juvia, how was your big date last night?" Mirajane asked with interest.

"Well, Juvia is a little embarrassed to tell" the blue haired girl said with a flashed face.

"Oh come on Juvia, we're all girls here. There's no need to for you to be embarrassed. Relax" Cana said lightly.

"That's right Juvia-san. We're all friends here. Don't worry, it's not like someone is going to laugh at you or anything. You can talk to us freely" Wendy encouraged her. Juvia smiled.

"Thank you everyone! Okay then, last night was, really nice" she said eventually.

"Eeh, what's this? That's all? We want details!" Cana complained.

"Don't be so noisy! Maybe she doesn't feel comfortable about saying more" Charle scolded her.

"No, it's fine! Juvia is really happy that her friends show so much interest and care about her so much!" the blue haired girl said with a bright smile after wiping a tear from her beautiful, blue eyes. Mirajane smiled sweetly and put her hand on Juvia's shoulder.

"It's fine Juvia. Of course we care for you and we are here for you! You don't have to tell us right away if you don't want to! You can talk to us whenever you feel like it" she said softly. Cana and Wendy nodded in agreement, smiling as well.

"Yeah, sorry if I was a little too intense. You can tell us when you feel ready" Cana said.

"No, it's fine, really! Juvia wants to tell what happened last night!" the water mage said. The girls moved closer to her as Juvia began her story. "Well, Juvia was waiting somewhere near Fairy Hills, she was a little embarrassed to wait right in front of the building. Juvia was wearing a simple, evening gown blue dress with matching blue, raindrop shaped earrings. Freed-san arrived about five minutes earlier than the date time and he took Juvia to the town for dinner" the water mage said.

"Wait, he didn't say anything about you? About how you looked, about your dress, no comments?" Mirajane asked surprised. Juvia blushed even more.

"Freed-san said that Juvia looked amazing. Juvia thinks that he was speechless for a moment when he first saw her" she said with a faint smile. The girls started giggling.

"Way to go Juvia! You knocked him out, didn't you?" Cana said joyfully as she wrapped her arm around her.

"Maybe. He then started to act all weird and stuff and he shook Juvia's hand. Fortunately, he quickly got over it" Juvia said. The girls started laughing.

"Freed may usually act calm and collected but when it comes to romantic stuff, he is actually pretty shy" Mirajane commended.

"What happened next?" Wendy asked excited.

"Well, as Juvia said, we went to the city for dinner. Freed-san had made reservations at Mon-Pernier" Juvia continued her narration.

"At Mon-Pernier?! That's one of the finest restaurants in Magnolia!" Cana said surprised.

"That's not very surprising actually. I think all the members of the Raijinshu have their way with money with all these missions they've taken. Just look at the way they are dressed" Mirajane said.

"I guess you're right. So Juvia, was that restaurant actually nice?" Cana asked.

"Yes, it was lovely! We had our diner, we drank our red wine and we had ice-cream for desert! Then Freed-san gave Juvia this" the blue haired girl said as she took out a golden necklace from inside her coat. The chain around her neck was gold and the amulet had the shape of the Fairy Tail mark and it was blue coloured with a golden frame. The girls looked at it impressed and Cana whistled.

"That must have caused a lot!" she said.

"How pretty!" Wendy said in awe.

"Juvia was grateful for all this but she was also a little embarrassed. Juvia thanked Freed-san but she also told him that she doesn't need expensive jewels or fancy restaurants to feel nice. It was nice but she could also settle for something simpler. Freed-san laughed after hearing this. He admitted that he was nervous about our date, that's why he went a little overboard. After that, things became a little simpler. We went for a nice walk in the city, which looked really beautiful at night with all those lights, and he walked Juvia back at Fairy Hills. And before Freed-san left, he kissed Juvia goodnight! Right here, on the cheek!" Juvia finished her story with a deep blush.

"How romantic! I want to go on a date too!" Wendy said with a dreamy expression.

"Wendy, you're too young to be on a date!" Charle said.

"Don't worry Wendy, you still have time for dates. There's no need to rush" Mirajane said with an amused smile as Wendy pouted. "I'm really happy for you Juvia! It looks like you had a wonderful date" she said as she turned back to the blue haired girl. Juvia nodded with a happy smile.

"Oh, it seems like our little Juvia is in love" Cana said with a teasing voice as she hugged Juvia again.

"Cana-san, don't say this out loud! Juvia is embarrassed!" the blue haired girl said shyly as the other girls started laughing and hugged her as well.

"Take that you bastard!" Gazille suddenly yelled as he punched Elfman away.

"You think that's enough to take down a man? Guess again!" Elfman yelled as he punched Gazille back. The girls broke their hug and watched confused as the two hot headed mages started brawling.

"And I thought we would finally have a quiet morning for a change. I guess I was too optimistic" Cana sighed.

"Why are these two fighting for all of the sudden?" Charle asked confused.

"It's fight between men. Girls wouldn't understand" a black, winged cat said with a deep voice after he landed next to her.

"Lili, do you know why these two are fighting for?" Wendy asked.

"I am not sure why, but I'm pretty sure they have a pretty good reason for this" the black cat said with confidence.

"Hey, guys break it up! Stop it! Why are you fighting anyway?" Mirajane asked putting her hands on her waste.

"He started it!" Gazille and Elfman said at the same time as they pointed each other.

"So, you were saying?" Charle asked with a hint of sarcasm.

"Wait for it. I'm sure there's a perfectly good explanation for this" Panther Lili said.

"Gazille-kun, what really happened?" Juvia asked seriously.

"Well, it's not my fault! I am bored! Salamander left again" Gazille said pouting.

"What?! That's your reason for fighting? That's why I've been supporting you?" Panther Lili yelled angrily.

"A serious reason, huh? You guys are so thick headed" Charle said with a disapproving tone.

"Where is Natsu anyway? I don't see Lisanna around either" Cana said.

"Oh, the two of them and Happy already left earlier this morning on that mission that Lisanna picked yesterday. They'll probably be back in the afternoon" Mirajane answered happily.

"Exactly! Salamander is gone so I don't have anyone to argue with. That other small girl still hasn't returned too so… Oh snap!" Gazille suddenly stopped with a slightly embarrassed look on his face.

"That other small girl? You wouldn't be talking about Levy now, would you Gazille?" Mirajane asked with a sly smile.

"Gazille-san, do you like Levy-san?" Wendy asked innocently.

"So that's why you are picking a fight! I knew there was a better reason than just being bored behind this" Lili said proudly.

"Shut up, all of you! Of course I don't! I'm not talking about Levy anyway! I'm talking about, Lucy! Yeah, I'm talking about her" Gazille said quickly.

"Lucy might be a lot of things, but small sure isn't one of them" Cana said calmly.

"A true man isn't afraid to show his feelings!" Elfman said emphatically.

"Elfman, Evergreen says hi" Mirajane said smiling.

"What? Who? Where?" Elfman stammered.

"Hah! You were saying?" Gazille laughed.

"Shut up!" Elfman snapped as he punched him in the face.

"Oh, that's how you want to play? Come here you big gorilla!" Gazille yelled.

"Bring it on if you are a true man!" Elfman roared as the two of them started brawling again. The girls sighed while Lili just smirked.

"I wonder if Lucy and the others are somewhere calmer" Mirajane said.

* * *

"Why do we have to go through the forest again?" Gray asked as the Fairy Tail mages continued their way by taking a path through the thick forest.

"I told you already, it's faster this way. If we continue like this, we'll be at the mansion by noon" Erza explained.

"That's if we don't run into any troubles on the way. The forest can be pretty dangerous" Loke said.

"Troubles? What kind of troubles?" Lucy asked a little worried.

"Oh, you know. Bandits and stuff like that" Loke calmly explained.

"Don't worry Lucy, this path is completely safe" Erza said with confidence.

"Ha, ha! Guess again my fair lady!" a loud voice was heard from the trees. The mages turned towards the tree that the voice was heard, only to see a man dressed in green, with a triangle shaped, green hat, black hair and a black goatee. He was standing on top of the tree, holding a rope. "La liberte! Hey" he yelled as he jumped from the tree holding the rope, he swung in the air and landed in front of the mages. "Surrender young travelers! You are surrounded by my men!" he said emphatically.

"So, this path is completely safe, huh?" Gray said sarcastically.

"That's funny. We don't see any men around" Loke said calmly.

"Hah! That's because my men are masters of disguise! Dancing squad, come out!" the man said loudly. Suddenly, about a dozen of men, all dressed in green, appeared from behind the trees and the bushes and quickly assembled behind the man who seemed to be their leader. Some of the men were armed, with bows and arrows, some of them with wooden staves and about three of them had music instruments, one had a guitar, one had a violin and one had an accordion.

"Why the instruments?" Lucy wondered as she sweatdropped.

"Because you can't dance and sing without music my fair lady. Now that you see that are outnumbered, give us everything you have and we shall let you pass. The boys at least, the ladies are more than welcome to stay with us and live our merry life if they want to" the leader of the bandits said.

"What do you mean merry life?" Lucy asked.

"Do you really want to know?" Gray mumbled.

"We shall show you right away, my pretty lady! Hit it boys!" the man said. The bandits with the instruments started playing a quick and cheerful tone while the rest of them started dancing along with their leader with quick steps. "We are the merry men, the happy men, the brave men! We live a simple life, a joyful life, a carefree life! Our leader is handsome, our leader is wild, our leader is what every lady likes!" They continued their singing in a similar way while doing a quick choreography like they had already practiced it. The Fairy Tail mages sweatdropped as they watched them with poker faces.

"Well, they are not that bad! They are actually pretty good once you get over the first shock" Loke said.

"They are still bandits though. And they are also armed" Gray said seriously.

"That may be my kind gentlemen. However, we carry these arms only for defence" the leader of the bandits said as he drew his short sword. "I can assure you, we've never used these weapons to harm someone innocent, weak or unarmed. And we have never attacked someone helpless or poor. You on the other hand seem pretty loaded. So if you just leave your money we shall let you pass" he said.

"I'll compliment you on having this kind of honor. However, we don't plan on giving you anything. Now get out of our way before someone gets hurt!" Erza said with a warning voice.

"Hey Erza, calm down" Lucy said alerted.

"Boss, I think we are in trouble. I think those are Fairy Tail mages" one of the bandits said.

"Fairy Tail mages? What a vile strike of fate! But we shall not retreat even if it is against Fairy Tail! Attack men, let's drive these mages to surrender with our valor! Then, we shall have a feast with a lot of food and wine for our brave accomplishment and show our kindness, by having these young mages join us!" the leader of the bandits said loudly.

"A feast, huh? This doesn't sound so bad" Gray said.

"Yeah, they are not such bad guys after all" Loke agreed. Erza however, had a different opinion.

"I warned them!" she said slowly as she charged.

"Erza, don't hurt them too much!" Lucy shouted. Erza seemed to ignore her as she started punching around the bandits who tried to stand up to her. For some strange reason the bandits with the instruments started playing their music again during the fight.

"There she goes again! That girl doesn't know the meaning of holding back" Gray said with a face palm.

"But why did they start playing music again?" Lucy wondered.

"I don't know but I start to feel sorry for them" Loke said. Lucy and Gray had no choice but to nod agreement as Erza beat down the bandits, including those with the instrument and put an emphatic ending to the fight by punching the last bandit through his accordion.

"This is what you get for trying to steal from people. Maybe now you should consider changing your ways!" Erza said when she was done. "Okay then guys, shall we continue?" she continued as she turned to the other mages.

"Sure" the other three mumbled as they saw the damage that was done.

"Sorry" Lucy said with a slightly embarrassed smile as they passed through the beaten bandits. "Erza, you didn't have to beat them that much" she said as they continued their way.

"They should be more careful next time when they pick their opponents. If anything, that should make them to stop robbing people" Erza said calmly.

"You may have a point there. Those guys were bandits after all. Still, you take matters way too seriously sometimes" Lucy said.

"I warned them and they attacked anyway. They fought bravely though" Erza said.

"That wasn't much of a fight though. Those poor guys never stood a chance" Gray said with some sympathy.

"Well, let's hope they do change their ways. Those guys were better as dancers and singers rather than bandits. Maybe they should consider focusing on that" Loke said.

* * *

"Man, that was too easy! I can't believe we're already done" Natsu said with a yawn.

"Yeah, but it was kinda fun though, don't you think?" Lisanna said. Natsu, Happy and Lisanna were on their way back to the guild from their mission.

"Well, the whole delivery to the zoo thing was pretty simple. But when we got there, all the animals were out!" Natsu said moving around his hands.

"That's because you let them out Natsu! You are the one who wanted to take a closer look and let all the animals run wild" Happy said.

"Oh Happy, can you just for once not remember every single detail?" Natsu said annoyed.

"Well, eventually that's what made the mission fun! Besides, we did manage to gather all the animals back without them or anyone else getting hurt" Lisanna said.

"That was thanks to you Lisanna! You always had your way with the animals. Natsu on the other hand was brawling with the kangaroos and arguing with the monkeys! He seemed to have a lot in common with them though" Happy said simply.

"Way thin ice Happy! If you continue like this, I'm gonna lock you up in a cage and trade for one of these monkeys!" Natsu yelled.

"Lisanna! Natsu says he is going to trade me with monkeys!" Happy wined and flew to Lisanna's arms.

"Now, now guys don't be like this! Come on, now say you are sorry. Both of you" Lisanna said in a mother like way.

"I'm sorry Happy" Natsu said grumpily.

"I'm sorry Natsu" Happy said in a similar way.

"There you go" Lisanna said laughing. The three of them continued their way as Lisanna started to look around the place where they walking.

"Hey Natsu, remember this place?" she asked.

"Huh? This place? It does look kinda familiar" Natsu said scratching his head.

"This is where that Vulcan attacked us when we were kids and Gildarts saved us. Do you remember now?" Lisanna said.

"Oh yeah! I remember now!" Natsu said as he patted his head.

"Hey, I don't remember any of this" Happy said.

"That's because it happened before you were born. You were still inside your egg back then" Natsu said.

"Then this must be really old" Happy commented.

"Natsu, do you remember what you did to save me?" Lisanna asked with a slight blush.

"How do you still remember this? That was years ago" Natsu said a little embarrassed.

"Who told you I ever forgot about it?" Lisanna said softly as she hugged Natsu's arm.

"What? What happened? Tell me!" Happy said curiously.

"Well, it happened when we were kids. Natsu and I were going back to the guild. There was a thick fog that day. We accidentally got separated and by the time Natsu found me, that Vulcan had already got me" Lisanna started her story.

"Did it hurt you?" Happy asked worried.

"No, don't worry Happy. Well, it did threaten to hurt me unless Natsu did what was told. And that's exactly what Natsu did. He begged the Vulcan to let me go and he even let it step on him. It's a good thing that Gildarts appeared and scared it away. But even he said that Natsu was the true hero that day!" Lisanna finished her story, tightening her grip around Natsu's arm.

"That's Natsu for you! He is a true hero!" Happy said proudly.

"Well, yeah. If that happened today I would just punch that stupid Vulcan away before it got the chance to do anything!" Natsu said decisively.

"I'm sure you would. But what if it got me again?" Lisanna asked.

"Then I guess I would do the same thing again. I wouldn't risk you getting hurt" Natsu said silently. Lisanna smiled.

"I know you would Natsu. But this time I wouldn't allow this to happen. This time, I would be the one to save you" she said softly as she leaned on Natsu's shoulder. Natsu smiled back.

"Well that wouldn't be necessary! Because the moment that filthy Vulcan tried to step on me, I would burn it to a crisp!" Natsu yelled throwing flames.

"Yeah, actually that seems a little more like it" Lisanna said laughing.

"Aye! That's Natsu for you" Happy said with a deadpawn look.

* * *

"Hey, are we there yet? We've been going through this forest for hours!" Gray yelled.

"It shouldn't take long. This path must lead right out of the forest" Erza said.

"Since when is this forest so big?" Lucy complained.

"Look guys! I see a clearing there. This must be our way out" Loke said pointing at the direction where the trees started to clear. The Fairy Tail mages followed the path and finally made their way out of the forest. They stopped walking for a moment to catch their breath and watched the nice view ahead of them. There was a green valley down from the hill that they were standing and ahead of them they could see a large, imposing mansion with a big garden.

"That's where we are headed, where our mission takes place. That's Lord Blackwood's mansion" Erza said smiling.

"Wow, I knew that this guy was reach but this is too much. This is even bigger than the guild!" Gray said in awe.

"The guild? This is almost the size of my house!" Lucy said stunned.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go" Loke said smiling. The rest of the mages nodded in agreement and followed the path down the hill on their way to the large mansion.

**Author's note: There goes this chapter. I tried to make this a little more comical than the previous chapters while still trying to maintain the romance. I hope I did it! Reviews and thoughts on the story are always appreciated! Take care everyone, see you next time!**


	5. A warm light for an armoured heart

**Author's note: Hey everyone! It's been a while, but the new chapter is up and ready. I hope you enjoy it! I do not own Fairy Tail.**

**HIDDEN FEELINGS**

**CHAPTER 5**

The Fairy Tail mages made their way out of the forest down the hill and walked towards the large mansion. The path grew wider and the trees started being a little more disperse as they moved further from the thick forest, instead there was a large, grassy plain around them, a few small, clean buildings and a tall, red windmill. The Fairy Tail mages continued their way, passed through the already open gates and moved closer to the large building. There was a beautiful, green garden in front of the mansion. The Fairy Tail mages looked around the paved pathway that they were walking and smiled at the sight of the beautiful garden. The grass was freshly cut and neat, there were green trees and colourful flowers all around the pace and the air was filled with the pleasant scent of the flowers.

"It's so pretty!" Lucy said as she took a deep breath.

"I agree, this scenery is quite calming" Erza said with a smile.

"This guy must be pretty loaded" Gray said as he looked around.

"Well I, for one thing, wouldn't mind living in a place like this" Loke said lightly as they got in front of the mansion and knocked on the door. After a while the door opened and a relatively short, middle aged man around his fifties, with short, black hair, a black stubble and dressed in a neat, black tuxedo and a white shirt appeared.

"May I help you?" he said with a deep, formal voice as he stood in front of the door.

"We are mages from the Fairy Tail guild. We are here in response to your job request, about the dance and the jewel collection" Loke said.

"Oh, certainly. Please come in" the short haired man said as he opened the door further and let the mages get inside with a gesture. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Lord Blackwood's butler, Geoffrey. Please follow me to the main hall and I shall introduce you to Lord Blackwood" he said.

"How formal" Lucy thought as they followed the butler inside the large building. Once they got to the main hall, the Fairy Tail mages looked around the spacious room and their attention was drawn by a large, white, marble staircase that led to the upper floors and they noticed someone standing on top of it.

"I present you Lord Blackwood. Master Blackwood, may I introduce you to the mages of the guild of Fairy Tail, who are here concerning your request about the jewel collection" Geoffrey said with a formal voice. The mages looked up and saw that it was a tall, sturdy man, with broad shoulders, short black hair and he was dressed in a black suit, with a black cape on top of him and holding a black cane.

"You seem surprised" the tall man said.

"No, not really. Why would we?" Gray said.

"Don't mind him. Lord Blackwood likes theatricalities like that" Geoffrey said simply.

"Actually, I was expecting him to be a little older" Loke said.

"Welcome mages of Fairy Tail! Welcome to my estate. I hope you had a peasant trip" Lord Blackwood said as he walked slowly down the stairs.

"Well, it was pretty good. Except for the fact that we got lost and we run into a band of dancing thieves in green tights" Gray mumbled.

"Is that, young Lucy Heartfilia?" Lord Blackwood said with a wondering tone in his voice as he moved closer to the mages.

"Ehm, yes. Hello mister Blackwood" Lucy said with a slightly awkward smile, not sure of how she should react.

"Well, who would tell me that you would be the one to respond to my request. My, you have grown into a quiet fine young lady. Last time I saw you, you were about this big" Lord Blackwood said smiling as he stretched his arm at the height of his waist.

"Well, I guess it's been quite a few years since last time" Lucy said rubbing the back of her head.

"I suppose they have. I heard about how your father went bankrupt. I am sorry to hear that" Lord Blackwood said with a caring voice.

"Yeah, I appreciate that" Lucy said with a hardened expression.

"But no need to worry, your father is a smart and hard working man. I am sure he will be back on his feet in no time" Lord Blackwood said with a kind smile. Lucy just nodded along, but her expression didn't go unnoticed by Gray. Lord Blackwood must had noticed as well and decided to quickly change the topic of the discussion. "In any case, I am happy that to see you after all this time. Not only you have grown into a beautiful young lady, but you also joined a great guild like Fairy Tail. You've done well Lucy. And who else do we have here? If it isn't the famed Erza Scarlet, the Titania. I am honored to have you in my estate. The rumors do you no injustice, you are beautiful as you are strong" the tall man said with a small bow.

"Thank you Lord Blackwood, you are really kind. I can assure you that this mission will be successful" Erza said with confidence, smiling.

"I am sure of that. And the rest of your company" Lord Blackwood said as he turned towards Gray and Loke. "I am sorry, I am not sure I am familiar with the two gentlemen" he said with a kind smile which, nevertheless, caused them to nearly fall on the ground.

"This guy. Is he kidding us?" Gray mumbled with his eyebrows twitching. Loke, on the other hand, tried to laugh it away, act cool and save face.

"He, he, it's fine sir. My name is Loke and this is Gray Fullbuster. We are happy to be welcomed at your mansion. Right Gray?" he said smiling as he casually passed his hand through his wild hair.

"Yeah, very happy" Gray grunted.

"Well, I do apologise. Anyway, as I said before, welcome to my estate. Please, make yourselves at home. Geoffrey here is going to show you to your rooms where you will spend the night" Lord Blackwood said.

"Spent the night? I thought the dance was going to take place tonight" Lucy said confused.

"Oh, about that. Well, the dance is going to take place tomorrow" Lord Blackwood said with a slightly awkward smile, scratching his chin.

"What?!" the Fairy Tail mages yelled surprised.

"But the request paper was saying about tonight" Loke said.

"Yes, I am aware of this. You see, I was thinking that whoever responds to the job request should have at least one day to rest and get a little more familiar with the mansion, so he would be in a better shape and protect it better. That's why I noted one day earlier on the request paper" Lord Blackwood explained.

"That actually makes some sense" Erza said thoughtfully.

"Does it now?" Gray said.

"It's fine, we will be happy to have as our guests and I'm sure that you will be pleased with your rooms. Geoffrey, will you please show our young guests to their rooms?" Lord Blackwood said as he turned towards the butler.

"Of course. I don't see any luggage though. Don't you have any luggage?" Geoffrey asked. Gray and Loke started laughing silently and Lucy nudged them.

"Oh yeah, our luggage. I have it outside, come on I'll show you" Erza said as she walked towards the door.

"Outside?" Geoffrey said puzzled as he followed her.

"Yes you see, it couldn't fit through the door" Erza explained as they got out in the garden.

"What do you mean it couldn't fit? Oh dear" Geoffrey said as he saw the heavily loaded wagon that Erza had been carrying. "And you thought that the dance was tonight? I see. Let me get my tools and tear down the entrance so we can fit this wagon in" he said.

"I will help you rebuilt it after this" Erza said quickly.

"I was joking. I will have someone unload this and move your stuff to your room. Now please follow me so I can show you to your guest rooms" Geoffrey said calmly as he motioned Erza to follow him back to the mansion.

"Is everything okay?" Lord Blackwood said as they got back to the main hall.

"Yes, everything is in order. Now, if you would follow me young sirs and ladies, I will show you to your rooms" Geoffrey said with a gesture. The Fairy Tail mages nodded along, followed the butler up the stairs and turned towards the west wing of the manor.

"Over here is the guest hall. This is where your guest rooms are located. Since there are four of you, we will reserve two rooms for you. One for the gentlemen and one for the ladies. Ah, there you are miss Lisa" the butler said as he spot a pretty, young girl, with long black hair tied in a ponytail with a white ribbon, average height with a curvy figure and dressed in a clean maid outfit.

"Yes, mister Geoffrey. Um, what is it?" the black haired girl said shyly, playing with her long ponytail.

"Will you please escort young masters Gray and Loke to their room?" Geoffrey said politely.

"Oh, sure. Of course, right this way sirs" Lisa said eagerly as she walked closer to them.

"Hey, hey, there is no reason for such formalities. You can just call me Loke" Loke said smiling.

"Oh, I couldn't. Um, do you have any baggage that you need me to carry?" Lisa said.

"Please, I would never make a pretty girl like you carry anything" Loke said with a flirty smile.

"Thank you, sir. You are very kind" Lisa stammered with a heavy blush.

"Will you cut it out you damn playboy? It's not like we are actually carrying anything" Gray said slightly irritated.

"Well, if you wouldn't mind, please follow me. I will show you to your room" Lisa said still slightly blushing. Gray and Loke followed her.

"We'll see you guys later" Gray waved at Lucy and Erza while they were leaving.

"Okay. We'll meet at the hall" Lucy said and Gray and Loke nodded.

"What a lovely girl that Lisa is. A little bit shy though. So, shall we? Your room is right down the hallway" Geoffrey said. The butler and the two girls continued their way until they stopped in front of one of the rooms on the side of the hallway.

"Here's your room, miss Lucy and miss Erza. I hope that you find it to your liking" Geoffrey said.

"Oooh!" Lucy exclaimed with enthusiasm and admiration once they got into the room. Erza looked impressed as well. The room was incredibly spacious and filled with furniture. The walls were paint in a light brown colour which gave a cozy and warm feeling, the floor was covered with a red carpet, there were two comfortable beds that looked big enough for two people to lie on without trouble, a big dresser and a large wardrobe. There was also another room that was probably the bathroom.

"It's huge. And it looks so pretty" Lucy said with bright eyes.

"I agree. It looks like we will have a comfortable night here" Erza said smiling.

"I am glad that you like it" Geoffrey said. "If only my room was this big" he mumbled to himself. Lucy walked inside the room looking around and got in front of the wardrobe.

"May I open it?" she asked a little hesitantly as she turned towards Geoffrey.

"Certainly" the butler nodded. Lucy opened the wardrobe and her eyes grew wide in surprise. The wardrobe was full of clothes and dresses.

"That's certainly a lot of dresses" Erza commented as she walked next to Lucy.

"This mansion has belonged to the Blackwood family for generations, since master Blackwood's great-grandfather. So these dresses belonged to several ladies who have lived in this mansion and as you see they are all in pretty good shape" Geoffrey explained.

"I see" Erza responded.

"Well if you have settled here, I think I'll go check on the other two gentlemen" Geoffrey said.

"Thanks for everything Geoffrey-san" Lucy said smiling brightly.

"My pleasure" the butler said with a small smile as he got out of the room.

"Well, out of all the places that I have stayed during my missions, this must be the most comfortable" Erza said with content.

"Yeah, it's really nice" Lucy agreed and sat on one of the beds. Erza noticed her expression.

"Is something wrong Lucy?" she said a little worried as she sat next to her.

"No, not really. I was just thinking. Erza, do you think two friends can be, more than just friends?" Lucy asked with a slight blush as she was looking at the floor and started waving her feet.

"What do you mean, more than just friends?" Erza asked a little confused.

"You know, develop different feelings. Like more intimate?" Lucy said as she blushed deeper.

"Oh, I see. You are talking about Gray, aren't you? What are you so worried about?" Erza asked with a sweet smile.

"Nothing. It's just, it's a little funny you know. Up until two days ago, Gray was just, well Gray. A fellow guild member, a teammate and a very good friend, but he was also the guy who would randomly strip and sometimes break into my house. Of course, this is something that all of you do, especially Natsu and Happy" Lucy said with a small frown.

"He, he, well sorry about that. You do have a nice apartment though" Erza laughed. "But if it bothers you that much, then I'll stop coming to your house without warning and I'll say the others to stop it too" she continued a little more seriously crossing her arms but still smiling.

"No, no, don't mind me" Lucy said shaking her head vigorously. "Maybe I whine about it, and maybe it is a little annoying some times, but I actually like having you guys over. Sometimes, when I come back at my place and find you guys there, greeting me with smiling faces instead of an empty room, it makes me happy. Despite how I react" she continued with a happy smile.

"I'm happy to hear that. For a moment I thought we were actually bothering you" Erza sighed with relief.

"Yeah well, don't tell Natsu. Then Happy and he will never leave my place" Lucy said jokingly and the two girls laughed.

"Don't worry, I won't tell him or Gray. Your secret is safe with me" Erza said.

"Anyway, as I was saying earlier, now all of the sudden he is Gray, you know, he is like this really sweet and carrying guy that I don't really know how to talk to. Have you ever felt like this about anyone in the guild before?" Lucy asked as she turned towards Erza. Erza rubbed her chin and thought for a moment.

"No, I don't think so. Of course I care for Natsu and Gray, but I don't really feel about them the way you do about Gray. And I think the same thing goes for anyone else in the guild" the red haired girl said.

"But haven't you taken a bath with both of them before?" Lucy said raising an eyebrow.

"That's different. First of all, we were young and second, I made them take a bath because they hadn't taken a bath in several days" Erza said with a practical tone in her voice.

"I see. Anyway, I think Loke likes you" the blond girl said with a sly smile.

"I wouldn't say so. Maybe you are confused by his general flirty attitude. Didn't you see how he flirted with that maid girl? I am not saying that this is bad, I'm just saying that this is how he acts" Erza said.

"I am not so sure about that. Maybe you know him longer, but I think I know him better. And I've seen the way he looks at you, especially when the two of you danced the other day. He is more than just a playboy you know" Lucy said.

"Why would Loke like me?" Erza said with a questioning look.

"Are you kidding me? Why wouldn't he? You are smart, you are beautiful, you are strong, you are kind and caring! You are just amazing Erza" Lucy said with admiration as she put her hand over Erza's. Erza smiled, blushing with some embarrassment and held Lucy's hand.

"Thank you Lucy. So, Loke huh? I still think you are overreacting though. Loke is just a friend" she said.

"Well, maybe. I can't be completely sure" Lucy admitted.

"Anyway, we should get back to the main hall. We are supposed to meet the guys there, aren't we? Let's go then" Erza said as she got up. Lucy nodded in agreement and followed her out of the room.

* * *

"So is everything in order? How do you find your room?" Geoffrey said.

"I think it's great" Loke said looking around with enthusiasm.

"Yeah, it's pretty cool. I think we'll be just fine here" Gray said.

"I'm glad to hear this. Now if you'll excuse me, I must return to my other duties. What a joy. Anyway, if you need something do not hesitate to ask" Geoffrey said as he moved towards the door.

"Okay, thank you for everything" Loke said.

"At your service" Geoffrey said as he got out of the room.

"Well I, for one thing, am definitely glad for tagging along for this mission" Loke said with a wide smile as he looked around the comfortable room until he noticed Gray starring out of the window. "What's up Gray? Why so grumpy?" he asked.

"Hm? Oh, it's nothing" Gray said absent minded as he turned around towards Loke.

"Are you thinking about Lucy?" Loke asked with a smile.

"Perhaps. Never mind that, what's up with you?" Gray asked slightly frowned.

"What do you mean?" Loke asked with wonder.

"Why were you hitting on that maid girl? I thought you said something about being interested in Erza" Gray said.

"I was not hitting on her, I was just being nice" Loke said innocently.

"Well you are nice to all of them, aren't you? Don't tell me you are only interested in Erza because she turned you down in the past?" Gray said but he instantly regretted it once he saw Loke's expression.

"Just because I am a little flirty with women doesn't mean that I see them as trophies! And I am not interested in Erza just because I want to prove something or I see her as a challenge. I happen to actually care about her, just like I care about Lucy. I thought you knew me better than that Gray" Loke said seriously as he pushed his shades up.

"Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry I said that. I am not even sure why I said it. I am sorry Loke, I didn't mean that" Gray said with regret in his voice, looking at the floor.

"It's fine, don't worry about it. I know you didn't mean it. Maybe you are stressed, you need to calm down a little" Loke said with a lighter tone.

"I guess so. And perhaps I never actually realized that you cared about Erza that much. I thought you were either crazy or just goofing around when you asked her out before" Gray said a little confused as he lifted his head and looked at Loke.

"Why are you so surprised? Erza may act tough but she is actually really kind and she has a heart of gold. Plus, she is quite and, not to mention, totally gorgeous. How could you not like her? You should know that better than anyone Gray, you are one of her closest friends" Loke said lifting his hands up as he was stating something really obvious.

"I suppose I can't argue with that. As for the way she usually acts, there is a reason. You know about the incident at than Tower of Heaven place, don't you?" Gray said seriously.

"Very few things actually. If you remember I was around back then, I was recovering my magic at the spirit world. I was planning on asking you about that at some point. So come on, tell me what happened there" Loke said seriously as well.

"Well, I also missed some things myself, but I had Natsu tell me what happened and give me the whole picture" Gray said and continued on by explaining Loke what had happened at the Tower of Heaven, Erza's past, their fight with Erza's old friends until they learned the truth, the assault of the assassin's guild, his own fight with Fukuro and Natsu's fight with Jellal. Loke listened with a serious expression.

"I see. I figured that Erza was hiding something, but I never thought that it would be something like this. And once again, I couldn't do anything to help. Just like with the invasion of Phantom Lord, I couldn't do anything" Loke said with a bitter smile. Gray looked at him with a sad expression. He knew that Loke was hurting much more than he let out.

"Don't beat up yourself, it's not your fault. There wasn't anything you could do. You nearly disappeared so you had to recover. I am the one who should have done more" Gray said clenching his fists. "Anyway, as it turned out that Jellal wasn't a bad guy himself, someone was using him. But this doesn't really change what happened or the pain that he caused Erza, even if he didn't really mean to" he continued as he crossed his arms.

"I see. Okay then, it's decided. Since Erza was so lonely and had so much pain and sadness in her life, I will try to make her happier. It's my duty as her friend" Loke said decisively.

"Whoa where did that confidence come from? And isn't being a spirit a little bit of a problem?" Gray said.

"I know that I can't be around for long and, therefore, I can't actually be with her. But as long as I am around, I might as well try to make her feel good. She deserves it and I feel like I owe her since I couldn't help before" Loke said with a sad smile.

"I never realized how hard this must be for you. To like someone and not being able to be with her" Gray said with sympathy.

"It's okay Gray, I have accepted that. I am a spirit after all. Besides, this is not about me, it's about her being happy" Loke said decisively.

"I think the term playboy doesn't really suit you after all. Maybe we should start calling you a shiny knight, or a knight to the rescue, or something like this instead" Gray said with a grin. Loke just smiled.

"A knight huh? This doesn't sound bad at all. Let's go then, our princesses are waiting! Let's not make them wait any longer" Loke said emphatically as he straddled towards the door with Gray following him, smiling and shaking his head at his friend's theatricality.

* * *

Natsu, Lisanna and Happy were walking together back to the guild.

"How's your fish Happy?" Lisanna asked smiling.

"Really good! You want some?" Happy said munching his roast fish.

"No thanks, I'm fine. You enjoy it" Lisanna said.

"Why did you have to go and buy fish on a stick Happy? We had breakfast just right before we left" Natsu said.

"I couldn't help it. It smelled so good" Happy said.

"Come on Natsu, what's the big deal?" Lisanna said tilting her head a little.

"Well nothing really. Except for the fact that the smell of the fish made me hungry too" Natsu said as he rubbed his growling stomach with a small frown.

"Maybe you should have bought one yourself" Happy said as he finished his roast fish and started licking his paws with delight.

"Why you little" Natsu growled angrily.

"Now, now, calm down you two. It's fine Natsu, once we get to the guild I'll make you something to eat" Lisanna said with a smile.

"Thanks Lisanna. Man, I can't wait to get back to the guild" Natsu said with enthusiasm.

"Well, we're almost there" Lisanna said as she pointed towards the building of the guild which had appeared at their sight. The three of them continued their way until they reached the guild and opened the door.

"We are back" Natsu yelled as the three of them got inside the building. He was instantly greeted by a table to his face. "Gazille, you bastard! I saw you!" Natsu roared angrily as he charged forward and joined an already brawling Gazille and Elfman. Lisanna and Happy sighed.

"Welcome back" Mirajane greeted happily once the two of them got closer to the bar.

"Good morning everyone. Hey, what's going on? What's this about?" Lisanna said as she took a seat next to the group of girls who were already sitting there.

"Oh, don't mind them. They've been going on all morning" Cana said lazily.

"How was your mission, Lisanna-san?" Wendy asked with interest.

"Everything went just fine. It was actually pretty fun" Lisanna answered and turned towards Natsu. "Well, it looks like Natsu forgot all about his hunger. I can't believe that he is brawling again, didn't he get enough brawling with the kangaroos?" she said.

"What?!" the girls yelled in surprise.

"Juvia heard right? Did Lisanna-san say kangaroos?" Juvia said with a puzzled expression.

"I think this is something that we all need to hear about" Cana chuckled.

"Well, I guess. Let me explain then" Lisanna said trying to hold back her laugher as she started narrating about what had happened in their mission, how Natsu let all the animals run loose at the zoo and how long it took all of them to get the animals back, with Natsu getting most of the animals. Meanwhile, Happy was slowly sliding closer to Charle with sparkling eyes.

"Hey, Charle. Did you miss me?" he said with a playful voice.

"Why? I haven't seen you since yesterday. It's not that long" Charle said simply. A Happy sulked in the corner, Lili was still watching the brawling mages.

"This is one loud guild. How much longer are they going to keep this up?" he wondered. After a while the doors opened again and a petite girl, with shoulder length blue hair, dressed in a bright yellow and orange dress walked in, followed by an orange haired mage, with a tall, brown hat and dressed in a brown coat, and a taller, black haired mage, dressed in a white shirt and a yellow vest.

"Good morning everyone. We are home" the blue haired girl greeted cheerfully.

"That's right. Team Shadowgear is back from their mission" the orange haired mage said.

"And we were successful once again" the black haired mage said.

"Hey, Levy, Jet and Droy are back. Welcome home" Mirajane waved at them.

"Well, it was about time" Cana said.

"Eh? She's back?" Gazille said as he was momentarily distracted and looked towards the door.

"Hah, where are you looking?" Natsu said as he took advantage of the situation and punched him away. "This is what you get for looking away" he yelled.

"Same goes for you" Elfman roared as he punched Natsu as well.

"Oh my! What's happening here?" Levy said.

"What are they brawling about?" Jet wondered.

"Since when do these guys need an actual reason to brawl? They were probably just bored" Droy said. The three hot headed mages got ready and attacked once again at the same time.

"Enough!" a loud voice was heard and a giant fist knocked all three of them to the ground. The giant arm took its normal size again and the girls at the bar turned around and saw a short, old man with a big, white mustache and white hair at the sides of his head, dressed in a casual yellow shirt and pants, standing on the ledge of the balcony on the upper floor. The old man then jumped and landed on the bar where he sat down.

"Can't you kids just be quiet for once?" the old man said.

"Master Makarov. How long have you been upstairs?" Cana said with some wonder.

"Good morning master" Mirajane greeted with a smile.

"Good morning girls. And cats" master Makarov said smiling. "See? Why can't you be calm like our lovely girls here?" he said as he turned to the three mages. Natsu, Gazille and Elfman sat up on the ground and rubbed their heads frowning. Natsu then got up and walked towards the girls.

"Um, Lisanna. I'm still a little hungry. Do you mind, making me something?" he said avoiding her gaze and scratching his chin.

"Sure, Natsu! I promised you after all, didn't I?" Lisanna said smiling as she got up and went behind the bar, grabbing a pink apron and tying it around her waist.

"Thanks Lisanna" Natsu said smiling as he took a seat at the bar. Cana noticed Juvia's blushing face and leaned on her hand.

"What's wrong Juvia?" she asked.

"Cooking for someone else. Juvia was just thinking. Perhaps Juvia should cook something for Freed-san as well" Juvia said shyly as she fumbled at the hems of her blue dress.

"I don't think he would mind" Cana said. Elfman got up and took a seat at the bar as well.

"It's a man's job to remain calm" he said decisively with a serious expression.

"Come on Elfman-san, you don't have to be that serious" Wendy said as she patted the tall mage on his back. Levy walked towards Gazille who was still sitting on the floor with a pouting expression on his face.

"What took you so long?" he said looking at another direction.

"Sorry, I haven't realized that you missed me" Levy said.

"Missed you? I'm just saying that you should choose better partners for your mission next time. Maybe this way you will finish sooner" Gazille said.

"Hey" Jet and Droy said together.

"Fine, I'll keep that in mind. Will you sit on the floor for the entire day? It doesn't look very comfortable" Levy said with a smile and crossing her arms. Gazille scoffed, got up and sat on one of the tables.

"Levy-chan. She totally ignored us" Droy said.

"I think we should probably get used to it" Jet said.

"Well, that's more like it. Finally some nice quiet" master Makarov said as he took a sip from his drink.

"And that's how everything got calm again" Mirajane said smiling.

"Until the next random brawl" Cana said.

* * *

Gray and Loke were waiting eagerly at the main hall.

"So, let's not make our princesses wait huh? It looks like we are the ones waiting" Gray said.

"Oh, don't be such a baby. There, they are coming" Loke said as Lucy and Erza were walking down the stairway and moved closer to them.

"So what do we do now?" Lucy said.

"I think it will be a good idea to take a look around and get to know the mansion better. That's why Lord Blackwood called us earlier in the first place after all, so we might as well do this" Erza said.

"That does sound like a good idea. Hey Geoffrey, can you show us around?" Loke asked the butler who happened to pass nearby.

"Of course! I'll be happy to show you the manor. It's not like I have anything better to do. Please follow me" Geoffrey said with a slight hint of sarcasm. "From a butler to a tour guide. My career has reached new heights" he mumbled to himself.

"What a funny guy" Gray thought. As they got behind the butler, Gray got next to Lucy who smiled at him. Gray momentarily looked away, but then he slowly turned around and smiled back at her, noticing Lucy's slight blush. In front of them, Loke was staring at Erza.

"Is there something wrong?" Erza asked after she caught his look.

"No, everything is fine" Loke said simply with a smile.

"I just thought that you were looking at me a little funny" Erza said slightly confused.

"I was trying to get used to your radiant beauty. That's all" Loke said, pushing his shade. Lucy couldn't help but giggle at this comment while Gray shook his head. Erza just smiled a little embarrassed, a slight blush appearing on her pretty face.

"Let's just move on" she said simply as the small group followed the butler further inside the large manor.

**Author's note: ****Well, there goes one more chapter. I thought about focusing a little more on the pairing with Erza and Loke in this one, while still working on the main pairing of the story. And in addition the other side pairings from the previews chapters, I decided to also add a couple of Gazille and Levy moments, mostly in a lighter and funny way. Reviews and thoughts would be really appreciated. I am afraid I am a little busy this time around, so I am not really sure when the next update is going to be. Anyway, see you next time guys!**


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